"I don't know about any prophets or whatever thing you're talking about lady."
"Oh really? You don't know anything about the second prophet? And don't call me lady!"
"What the hell should I call you then? A harlot?"
Currently, half of the gaunt man's body was hanging over the modest schooner, right on the verge of falling into a giant whirlpool. The only things holding him up were the ropes around his wrists, held by his perpetrator.
'I just can't catch a break… ever…'
At that moment, the perpetrator intentionally loosened her grip on the rope, the gaunt man's face heading straight towards the rushing waters of the whirlpool. Then she tightened her grip again, making the man's torso stop abruptly and his head skim the water as it jerked from the sudden change of velocity.
"You're talking like someone that isn't on the verge of drowning. Maybe I should just send you… Hey, you could meet the other blood user I talked about! You guys would make great friends! Or maybe not… who knows?"
The young man's face was mere inches from the rushing water. He could feel stray droplets of water landing on his nose. The depths… It was basically a death sentence for him. He had only heard whispers and rumors about what goes on beneath the waves, and only a few were able to escape its deathly grip.
At least that's what he heard.
In truth, the young man knew little to nothing about depths, so when he was brutally interrogated by his perpetrator and being asked questions about prophets and castles, he didn't have an answer to any of them. Obviously, the suspicion his perpetrator had before only grew due to the lack of corroboration, which was how he ended up a sliver away from falling into a whirlpool the diameter of a freight ship. He also now knew that the whirlpool led to the depths thanks to his perpetrator's rambling. The young man stayed in that position for a few more moments before his perpetrator finally talked, seemingly unsatisfied with how the situation had unfolded.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?"
The young man turned his head to look at the perpetrator to give a response, but with the depth of the hole he dug himself, there was nothing he could say to improve his chances.
"I'd rather drown than hear another word come out of your mouth."
For a moment, there was only the sound of the swirling whirlpool. The gaunt man knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this situation unscathed about halfway through the tort… interrogation.
'I know the outcome, might as well make it easy on myself…'
As he finished his string of thoughts, he realized that the sound of the whirlpool was gone. Surprised, he looked around and noticed that the whirlpool disappeared too.
'...what?'
"Ah… I really thought you'd give more of a reaction. You didn't even wet yourself! That was still pretty fun though. Gosh, I love my ability…"
Surprised, the young man turned his head to look at the woman. Her shoulder length Jasper hair caught the wind and flowed just like her austere cloak, and her cat like ears that were perked up a moment ago relaxed. Her eyes met the young man's, sharp and amber, as if gazing into his soul and shaping its perception.
"Oh right, you're probably confused… or in awe. Well actually, you can't really be in awe, you called me a harlot earlier! Maybe I should drown you, this time with my own two hands! Wait, you'd probably be into that. Actually… no you wouldn't. I've actually met a…"
The crass woman rambled on for a few more sentences before she finally noticed the gaunt man looking at her with tired eyes.
"Oh- yeah I probably should…"
She tugged the rope backwards, bringing the gaunt man's torso back over solid ground. He stumbled backwards a bit due to the sudden change in balance and bumped into her, which was a little embarrassing. The woman didn't seem to mind though.
The young man stood frozen on the deck, every muscle in his body still tense. Even if he was on solid land, the woman could still easily push him overboard. With his hands tied, he would be able to swim for very long. But luckily, the woman seemed to be acting with good intentions, untying the rope that bound his hands together. He loosened a bit, but was still on high alert.
"You know the interrogation is over, right?"
Upon hearing her speak these words, the man realized he still had both of his hands behind his back as if he was still restrained. He moved them, acknowledging her remark and promptly took a seat on the bench he was perched on just a few moments. The two stayed silent, waiting for one of them to say something. Eventually, the gaunt man spoke first.
"So all of that… was for fun?"
He stared at the woman with indignation, which was justified considering the suffering he had to go through for the past hour… maybe two? It felt like an eternity.
"Well no offense… I realized halfway through that someone as profane as the second prophet wouldn't have someone as pitiful as you as their disciple."
His indignation grew stronger.
"Offense taken but okay…"
"But I was already in too deep. Hey, that's actually a really good pun! I should use it the next time I go around capturing bandits…"
She looked into the distance, as if seriously pondering the tactic she would use to capture another poor soul.
"Excuse me miss… kind miss or whatever you wanna be called-"
"Just call me Valerie."
His indignation seemed to have transferred to her. The gaunt man motioned his lips, as if he were going to speak, but Valerie beat him to it.
"Speaking of which, what's your name, skinny boy?"