Forgotten Aquaintance
Character(s): Tenten, Deidara
Setting: A tavern in Singapore
Time: Late evening.
Summary: Tenten meets as scheduled with Deidara and discuss why he's come to visit her.
Warning(s): None.
Deidara arrived in Singapore after stowing away on a merchants ship going to the same destination. He'd sent his mark for Tenten and received a location to meet. Singapore was very dark at night, those living here didn't seem to need the light to see at night. Very few lanterns hung on the port as he walked towards the pub he was to meet Singapore pirate captain Tenten.
The pub was dark as well, an orange glow lit the room from the large fire in the hearth, women in dark kimonos served the men sitting around drinking and eating. The drunk in Singapore seemed to be much more well behaved then those in the British colonies, that fact amused Deidara as he sat down at an empty table in the corner, ordering dango sticks and rum - no rum, damn - sake then please darling. He nibbled on his snack, waiting patiently for the Captain to arrive.
With a tired sigh, she turned the corner onto the main street where there rested the Rising Dragon, one of the more questionable of tea houses in the local village, for lack of a better description. It was certainly not a place those of her particular gender generally made a habit of visiting with the exception of two conditions: 1). they were among the women who worked at the establishment; and/or 2). they were looking for a night of excitement and thrill, an answer to their curiosity that was doomed to be forgotten once the effects of the sake wore off in the morning. Neither applied to Tenten of course, a more serious reason driving her steps forward.
It had been several months since a pirate captain had attempted to seek her out, more than likely wishing to make use of one or more charts and maps that littered her studies. A small annoyance from time to time, but at the very least, this Deidara was polite in his persistent persuit. Most others would have tracked down her ship and simply try to steal the parchments from her room by now, to no avail, naturally, because she was more careful and protective of those treasures than her own innocence, of which she had lost long ago in every sense of the word.
But then again, better that they be after those items than her head, Tenten thought. Navigational charts and lost treasure could be replaced; body parts were a bit trickier to do without as several of her crew already knew too well. So it was with that thought that Tenten had considered meeting with this man instead of foregoing any sort of communication. She was a true pirate brat, born and raised into the profession; avoidance was like second nature and it would not have been too difficult to evade his search completely. But Tenten was curious as well as to why he would go through all the trouble. Surely there were easier ways than following her across the globe.
And so it was with that thought that she slid open the door and stepped inside to the boom of roaring drunks and good cheer tainted by the sharp scent of sake. Pulling back the hood of her cloak, the pirate captain quickly scanned the room of patrons before seating herself in the corner, knowing that any one of them could very well be the man who had been looking for her.
Azure eyes followed the familiar face enter and cross the room. They hadn't met in years, he wondered if she remembered their last meeting. It had been brief so perhaps she did not. That was alright with him, he wasn't one seeking out for acknowledgment or fear of his name. He was already known for his seal of a flying bird, his explosives and his knack for escaping capture. Lifting up his cup to his mouth to drink the last of his sake, Deidara stood and crossed the room, nodding the waitress to the table to show he wasn't trying to stiff her of payment. Leaning forward he blew softly on the back of her neck, wisely far enough away that he wouldn't get stabbed or head butted in the process of his playful act. There weren't many female pirates, especially in Singapore, she wasn't that hard to recognize.
"Hello, Captain, un," Deidara said, stepping back just in case she had a long sword that would make him in reach. Over his clothes he wore a knee length leather coat, worn with weather and wear that held his hair against his clothes underneath the material. All save for the lock that never wanted to stay out of his eye, sliding lazily back in place whenever he pushed it back.
And indeed, her initial reaction had been to pull out the sword hidden under her cloak and give due punishment to the young man who dared waste her time and attention. She was not some prize or decorated doll to be toyed with. Tenten gave the proper respect to all those she met and demanded the same in return or there was no business to discuss. However, there was something in the tone of his voice and the familiar air in which it was used that stilled her movements.
“The people here say that it is dangerous and foolish to provoke a spitting dragon,” she said instead, her hands remaining calmly where they were in her lap, “You would do well to listen to such advice.”
Risking a glance out the corner of her eye, Tenten took in his appearance for the first time that night and quietly wondered how she could have missed the blonde locks in the sea of dark tresses that speckled the bar’s dark shadows. “So…you are the one they call Deidara.” It was more of a statement than a question, but yet her brow still lifted curiously as if unsure if her suspicions were correct or not. Sometimes, one could not be too sure.
"Then it is a good thing you are not a spitting dragon, un," was the reply. "It would be most unfitting picture for you, though maybe the dragon part, I wouldn't argue against." He slid around her chair and sat across from her, settling down and ordered another bottle of sake. "Would you care for dumplings, un?" he questioned as he ordered some for himself.
As the waitress turned to get the answer from Deidara's question from Tenten, Deidara reached into his pocket and placed a piece of old weathered leather onto the table by the pirate captain's glass, the flying bird burnt onto it's top just as the message sent to her before. It was his symbol. He was a pirate Captain as well, just without a ship. It was most irritating, especially when he had things to do. Like now. Which was why he was here to speak to her in the first place.
Eyes the color of the earth glanced at the scrap of leather beside her drink, acknowledging the symbol of the man without a word. It was the same as the message she had received in India. And that had been answer enough for Tenten, and so she moved on without fail. Shaking her head and waving off the offer of dumplings, she tapped a thin finger against the cup in front of her, asking the waitress for another bottle of sake instead. “You speak as if you know me well.”
Tenten waited for the woman to leave before speaking again, idly tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear in the same casual and calm demeanor as before. Leaning in a bit closer, her voice was soft and low, as if a secret was being shared with him. “But how can that be possible if we have only met just now, I wonder.”
Deidara folded his fingers together and tilted his head to the side. "And I thought dragons were supposed to have incredible memories, un. Apparently not," his voice was dripping with innocent teasing. He closed his eyes a moment, the pushed his hair back behind his ear. "This is not the only time we've met, though I wonder if you'd believe me if I told you even if I attempted to bring back memories. Some might not be pleasant," he told her with a smile on his face with the air of talking about some delicious food he'd had a few days ago.
Tenten went silent at the mention of bad memories, darkened eyes shifting to stare at her sake cup in thought. There had been many of them in her lifetime, even before she began her career as a pirate. And there would be more still. After all, she was still young. "There are very few memories that are pleasant in this profession and eventually they all bleed together. You should know that. But that explains it."
Fixing Deidara in her sights, she showed little of her emotions, keeping them hidden like she had been taught to when younger and still bound within the social laws of China...though, there might have been a small glint of something in her eyes, if he knew where to look and how to see it. "There are not many who know that Tenten the Spitting Dragon is a woman. And you addressed me as 'Lady' in your messages. But your name...I do not remember it save for the stories I've heard of your reputation."
To Deidara, this profession did indeed have unpleasant moments, but nothing that would be so traumatic that he wouldn't remember the fun parts. Giving her a sly grin that slid on his face oh so happily, he pushed away the thick sheet of blond locks over his left eye and allowed her to see the scope covering it like a eye patch. Very few knew who the nine pirate kings were, but each contained an artifact that was well known. They kept them on their persons at all times, never relenting them unless they were dying. Then it was their duty to pass on the piece to a new possessor who would take their place.
"I sailed with you and your father in search for the hidden treasure on your sadly brief visit to the Caribbean oh so long ago, un," he told her, letting the hair fall back in place. Closing his eyes a moment as though to let himself slide back into the passed a moment, as the waitress brought them sake and dumplings. When she was gone, he popped back into his normal demeanor and picked up a stick of dumplings to nibble on. "These are delicious, un!" he said, eating the first.
Tenten's brows knitted together, repeating his words in a quiet mumble of confusion. "The Caribbean?"
In all the years that she had sailed alongside her father, they had only made the trip to the Atlantic ports twice because of the distance and time required to make the quest; time he was less than willing to spend away from his territory in the South China Sea. Tenten was still too young to recall what had happened the first time they had sailed there, remembering only that she had spent her afternoons watching the gulls fly through the maze of ships sails making port. But the last time he had made the trip had truly prove to be his last. It was after leaving the Caribbean that Shirou had chosen to sail for the British Isles where his fate was sealed with a finely pointed bullet to the heart.
And the scope covering Deidara's eye...how could she forget something like that? Granted Tenten was never one to pay close attention to the sort of men her father had consorted with. It was none of her business or concern as long as they did not betray him. But then again, the strange apparatus looked well hidden under the curtain of the man's bangs, so perhaps she could have easily just missed noticing it.
Lost in that thought, she ignored Deidara's comment on the dumplings, already finding that her appetite was gone and replaced by a unsated curiosity. "Of course. You sailed with my father and so would know of me...and my identity. That is how you knew to find me, correct?"
"When dragons turn up, it's hard not to hear of where they dwell, un," Deidara said matter of factly. He finished his stick and sipped his sake then looked at her. "I have, unfortunately run into my own British trouble and have lost my ship and crew." He rest his chin in his hand and looked up at her. "I haven't stopped my own journey though. Your father gave me the information for the treasure of the Caribbean, I shared it with him which he sent back with you." He rubbed his nose a moment in thought. "Odd I'd be coming to you, his daughter for the same thing." he murmured more to himself then to Tenten.
"Is it truly so odd to believe, I wonder?" Her voice was soft and gentle, as if reaching out to a distant memory while she spoke. Looking off to the side in thought, Tenten reached out a delicate hand and poured herself another cup of sake, milky skin slipping out from under her cloak to glow in the candlelight of the tea house for the briefest of moments before disappearing into darkness once more. Such was the story of her life. "A man like my father was bound to leave behind a legacy in the wake of his death, even if he did not have children."
It was not an uncomfortable subject, speaking of her father when he was only two years dead. But Tenten would still occasionally have nightmares of that day and the last moments in which she saw Shirou's face watching to ensure that she would reach safety.
"Such an unfortunate turn of luck for you indeed. While a crew can be easily replaced, a captain is nothing without his ship." She took a long draw from her cup in hopes of forgetting such haunted dreams and looked expectantly over the rim at Deidara. Her eyes caught the light of the flames in such a way that the specks of gold within almost appeared glowing, giving the young woman the fiery look of her namesake; the Spitting Dragon. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Ahh... you see you are his daughter and have inherited his things, un," Deidara told her, spreading his hands out as though he was at a loss of what to do with them. "Your father had something that belonged to me at one time and by a long hand to hand passage made it's way to his." He looked at her expectantly, then poured himself another cup to sip and consider something she had said. "It all depends though... on what you consider a Captain is, un," a slow grin spread over his face as he looked over at her. "Would you introduce yourself as the Pirate Lord Tenten the Spitting Dragon if you were without a ship? Wouldn't I introduce myself as Pirate Lord Deidara, Master of fire? The lack of a ship wouldn't stop people from calling me Phoenix," he grinned at her, tilting his head to the side. Many people had tried to kill him, destroy him, get rid of him. He always managed to escape death, coming back when least expected.
"What I need," he continued, finishing his cup then poured himself another, "is that item... a crew or ship would be decent, but that I am not concerned for."
Blinking slowly, she regarded him evenly. There was much in her keeping that had previously belonged to her father, a large collection of maps included among other valuable treasures. What this man wanted, Tenten could only imagine. But to admit to this stranger of a man that she might have it now in her possession would have been foolish, at least until she discovered what he was after. "What makes you so sure that I've inherited it?"
Tilting her head back in a quick gulp, she drained the last of the sake in her cup and set the small piece of porcelain softly back down on the table. "My father sailed the world on a thousand and one adventures. It could be anywhere." She paused a moment to lock eyes with his, a smirk slowly creeping across her face as well with his words, true as they were. "And I suppose, without a ship, my father was still considered the Dragon of the East."
"Because this item is useless for people who don't know how to use it, un," Deidara told her. "And is too valuable to trade away. Your father helped me discover it and granted it's ownership to myself. He had no interest in what it did, nor could he discover the complicated puzzle it was." He smiled a little as he nibbled on a new dumpling. "No offense to your father, but he was not particularly good at solving puzzles," his grin widened a little at some long passed memory.
Twirling the small stick in his fingers, he thought for a moment. "There was one adventure he didn't wish to sail too," Deidara told her. "I didn't have the ties to the world that he had when we discovered this item. True adventures have the possibility of ending in death, or no return whatsoever. Your father didn't want to take you on such an adventure, un. Even the strongest dragon will protect their offspring," Deidara smiled at her with a slight tilt of his head, meeting her eyes.
Pouring the both of them another cup with an easy tilt of the bottle, Tenten stifled a scoff of amusement. “No, he self-admittedly was not, so no offense taken. I suppose that was the reason behind his insistence that I gained a skill for puzzles.” Settling back in her chair with a shrug, she nonchalantly took a quiet sip from her cup. “I merely assumed that he had other plans for me.”
Plans that he did not have the time to complete, she would have added. But she stopped herself from going down that path. Had Tenten been conversing with one of the old crewmen who had served under her father for a great many years, perhaps she would have continued. But this Deidara, this young captain without a ship or, she barely knew at all save extravagant rumors milling around the ports; exaggerated reputations were how legends were created. And yet the both of them had had a living connection all these years. Why could she not remember him?
“You knew much of my father, Captain Deidara.” Perhaps more than she, herself, knew. Tenten took another sip of her sake as she began to realize that there was an entire chapter of her father’s life she knew nothing of. And this man could more than likely tell her the stories that were missing, ones Shirou would (or perhaps could) never tell her because of the danger that came with such knowledge. “Yes, my father was a cautions man for my sake. Tch. A lot of good that did him in the end."
Deidara merely shrugged at the seeming bitterness statement. "We choose our paths, accepting consequences of those choices is what makes us men - or women," he inclined to here.
"Your father didn't believe me when I told him about this particular item to this particular location known only in myths, un," he told her. "But he decided to humor me and followed mine in his ship to search for it. We found the item, but he decided not to search for the location. We were about to part our separate ways when HMS came upon us. They'd been searching for me, but who wouldn't want two pirate captains to boast? Your father took the item, assuring me he'd keep it safe and we parted. The ships chased mine and loaded their cannons with burning oil and burned the ship to the ground." He grinned widely, looking at her from across the table as he sipped his drink. "They fished me out of the water but discovered halfway back to the port that I'd gotten away." He laughed allowed, thinking of the stories that had burst through that escape. Nothing in the cell was not intact. It appeared that there'd been no one inside before, yet Deidara had gotten away.
Breathing in deep through her nose and letting out a long breath, she sighed out her misplaced bitterness. Tenten’s father was dead as a result of his own choices. Her life was more important than his, that much had been clear. To blame herself or others for it would be pointless, and so was arguing with strangers about it. Nothing would change the outcome. “Believe what you will, Captain. I grow weary of dwelling on it.”
With her thumb and middle finger, she twisted the sake cup between her thin digits, thinking over the details of his tale from start to finish, looking for the puzzle that was not there…or perhaps the one that was hidden under all the extravagant words and impossible feats.
“Your story is rather interesting, though somewhat typical from all the others that I have heard of you. But I do have one question.” Looking up from where she had been staring at the ratted and rough tabletop, Tenten angled her head to the side in a curious manner. However, her tone was anything but innocent. “If your story proves true, why is it that you never came seeking to reclaim this item from my father when he was alive?”
Deidara shook his head a little, his own grin spreading across his face. "A number of reasons that you would be bored with hearing. I've been without a ship those two years and have been, to put it bluntly, doing other things." He mimicked her 'innocent' and curious manner with a smile. He wouldn't be stupid enough to spill all the beans to her now. "If I told you what it was would you give me the item?" he questioned, resting his chin in his hand.
“I think I should decide for myself if your tales prove uninteresting or not. They have kept you away from what I gather is a rather important item, after all.” Continuing to turn the cup between her fingers, she addressed him with her own smile. “In my experience, if something is as valuable and desired as you make this trinket out to be, absolutely nothing would stand in the way. And you have made that clear enough by coming all this way to find me.”
Keeping her demeanor reserved, almost coy, Tenten brought the sake cup to her lips. The light scent of the rice wine filled her nose, drowning out the stale stench of the other customers. “But whether or not you receive this item from me truly depends on a great many things, the first being if this treasure is, indeed, even in my possession."
"That it does," he said nodding a little. "But you have no use for it. Perhaps I've waited this long because I'm aware of the puzzle this item contains and knew that I wasn't properly prepared for it until now." He sat back, watching her closely as the waitress came and took their empty plate of dumplings and asked if they were eating or wanted anything else. Deidara ordered another plateful, smiling at her, but went back to his drink before she even left. He waited until she returned a few minutes later to speak again, staring into his cup even after he left. "Your father was a good man, good pirate. He wouldn't have joined forces with myself to get the item if he didn't trust me in some form. I'm keeping his honor secure by coming to you myself instead of simply stealing it for you, but I don't have eternal patience."
“My father had his reasons for not taking the path this item would lead him down, me being the main one as you so eloquently pointed out.” Leaning on one arm for support in a bored manner, she swirled her finger into the rice wine in idle thought and proceeded to trace it along the edge of the cup. Bringing that same finger to her own lips, Tenten gently sucked up what remained of the sake from her digit before addressing Deidara once more. “I, on the other hand, am not bound by such earthly ties. So who is to say that I‘ve no use for it…if I even have it to begin with?”
It was an innocent game of sweetened words and feigned courtesy among those who were neither established enemies nor trusted friends, one that the both of them were well accustomed to from what she could tell. So a little playfulness was something Tenten was more than ready for should the moment present itself. But the serious shift in the blonde’s demeanor and attitude had her switching gears as well. “I do not doubt that my father trusted you, Captain Deidara. But I am not my father and have no reason to trust you.” She straightened up her posture to convey her understanding that games were done and that it was time to get to the situation at hand, her voice dropping down to a softer octave so that no one else would be able to over hear their conversation. “However, I respect that you would honor my father in such a way and will give you the benefit of a doubt…for now.”
“I think we’ve wasted enough of your time and mine avoiding the matter all together, so let me get to the point.” Tenten leaned in and locked her brown eyes with his sea of blue, voice dropping just a bit more at the lessened distance. “What is it that you are seeking?"
"An item that leads to a treasure, that is not like any other treasure, un," Deidara told her. "It is a map." He closed his eyes a moment then sat back, no longer hungry or thirsty. "But the map has both the directions as well as the things must done to avoid the most impending doom, un." He gave her his most pleasant smile, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them.
"There are many maps in my possession, as you are most likely well aware." If he wanted to play at riddles, then so be it. She could dance around answers as well, all night if necessary. Tenten was not bound by time restraints as Deidara seemed to be, and was in the land of her ancestors. Her territory, her advantage, as Shirou would have said if he were still among the living. So with a shrug, she continued with an air of nonchalance, eyes wandering with indifference. "A fair number of them are treasure maps, too, not uncommon among pirates." She tilted her head to the other side in a curious manner, though the smirk on the young woman's lips was devilish, almost mocking. "Which one are you hoping to possess?"
"This one doesn't give particular direction to it's destination, un," Deidara said with a shake of his head. He thought silently to himself, going over his memories to picture the map in his head. "It's thicker the most maps, made of thin wood and leather, un. It's in a tube to keep the paintings on it free of the salt water." He watched her, settling back. "While I'm in no hurry, I'm not the most patient man on the ocean."
He had to resist the urge to fold his arms in irritation. Shirou was so much more agreeable then her. Women. Honestly.
"I can tell that you are not." With a pout, she eyed the embellished details in the porcelain before downing the last of the sake in her cup. Licking up the last traces of it from her lips, she quietly set the cup back down on the table. "And yet you still dance around your answers like a drunken sailor."
She sighed softly, an even breath that neither told of her equal frustration nor her weariness for how the meeting was going. The blonde had too many contradictions, too many mannerisms that bordered on hypocrisy. Not a patient man, he said. And yet he would not reply to her questions with clear and precise answers, only delaying them even further, a trait that was more so annoying, at best. Though she supposed to say the name out loud would be of more trouble than it was worth to simply play his little games. Many would be after it and her if they knew it's location.
"But I do believe I have seen this item of which you describe." Leaning forward, resting a forearm on the table, she placed the cup quietly on the table and waited for his response. If it was really his as Deidara had claimed, she would hand it over without fail. A pirate she was, but an honorable, as little as that was worth in their profession.
He perked up a little, though it was barely noticeably. Despite his frustration and irritation, she had his undivided attention now. If she had seen it, and had it in her possession, then he'd be even closer to disembarking on one of the greatest adventures known to the pirating world. The invention of the map was not known, but Deidara wasn't stupid. His constant ill preparation made him a little cautious on this endeavour. He planned to go out eventually in a form of artistic pleasure, not dying in his ship from being unprepared. His fingers worked into the clay piece in his left hand, softening it into a workable substance, waiting for her to continue.
His interest seemed instant, though subtle, and his irritation was merely a distant memory soon forgotten. Tenten could undersand that. The allure of coming so close to reaching your goal, whatever it may be, was intoxicating. But then again, nothing in life came so easily.
"If this is truly yours, as you state, and my father was merely holding it for you, I would be more than happy to hand it over. My father taught me to be honorable when honor is warrented, and he was a man who lived by his word...most of the time." In piracy, there were no clearly marked lines dividing things into what was acceptable and what was not. Established codes were merely guidelines that one could either choose to follow or rebel against and there would be no grave punishment save for the one lead by a person's conscience. After all, rarely was there a cut and dry solution to daily conflicts that arose in their line of work. "However, there lies my problem: How can I be absolutely sure that this, indeed, belongs to you?"
Ah, the loopholes women find. Deidara frowned in thought, giving her a steady look. "Your father's logs of the voyage, I dont keep such boring things, un," he waved his hand a little, settlign back in his chair. "If you're simply going to play coy and... how did you say? Dance around like a drunken sailor, I've nothing else to discuss with you, un." He sat back, waiting for her response, preparing to leave and find other means of getting the map back if she was going to be difficult. He wouldnt mind trading something in for her... or doing something for her, anything. Well no... anything is a broad term that gets you into trouble. Almost anything.
Her brows furrowed with contained frustration and irritation, though the even line of Tenten's mouth remained unwavering. It was like a slap in the face to be accused of such a thing, especially when she was being completely serious about the matter. To even have the legendary map that lead to...it was a stroke of luck that this item had ended up in the young woman's possession without effort or risk on her part.
Fixing him with a hard glare, she took a deeper tone as she spoke, one of deadly venom and seriousness as she spoke. "This is no mere trinket. This item that you are seeking is very important and deadly. People have died for it, have killed for it. To hand it over without question would be foolish of me and a betrayal of my father's trust when he left it in my care...so you can understand my precaution."
She paused for a long moment to let her words set in before continuing more calmly. "As I said before, if it is truly yours then I will hand it over without trouble. And the only way to know for sure is to search through my father's log, which will take time." Sighing, she straightened up in her chair, facial features softening just slightly at the mere thought of all the trouble that would no doubt come of this. "I apologize for the inconvienence, but until then you will simply have to wait, you understand. After two years, you can certainly wait a few more days."
"I can, but what am I to do in the mean time?" he questioned. "To enter a pirates territory and pirate myself is an insult to you, but I have nothing to live off of while you immerse yourself in your father's logs, un." He'd stowed away to get here, not on his own money. All his money was in a cave with the rest of his stolen treasure somewhere hidden away. He hated waiting. Waiting with a purpose was one thing, waiting for something he didn't know was there was something else. He knew Shirou was good at that keeping logs, almost as good as Deidara was bad. He was sure it was in there, but Tenten could become so immersed in her fathers words that she miss it, or take even longer. He didn't know her, only as the young girl who was learning to be a pirate, not the woman who was.
"You are more than welcome to stay on my ship while you wait," she offered. It was a simple decision, really, and it followed the age-old rule of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer. And while this Captain Deidara had yet to prove himself a threat to her, he was far from being a friend. As Tenten had learned while sailing the high seas with her father, it was a fine line between indifferent acquaintances and enemies. "If not then, I'm sure you could arrange something for yourself."
Leaning back in her chair as well, she settled on a comfortable denmeanor, niether coy nor threatening, however it did border on friendly and perhaps a bit challenging. "You have been without a ship for a very long time and I've no doubt that your resourcefulness is impressive, if the stories of you are true."
"Oh? You've heard of me?" he asked, lacing his fingers together once more to rest his chin on them, leaning forward towards her, grinning almost Cheshire like. Now that the dark disagreement was over and done with, Deidara agreeing to stay in her ship for the time being, Deidara ordered them another round of drinks. "What kind of stories, un?" Apparently they must be good as Tenten used the words 'no doubt' 'resourcefulness' and 'impressive'. He liked those words when they were about him.
A mere pause was all that she allowed herself before giving a light chuckle in reaction to his sudden smile, meeting it with one of her own. It really amazed her how easily he could change and adapt to the situation as it shifted and altered right in front of his eyes. But really, any true pirate could manage the same thing. With so many uncertainties looming on the horizon at every turn of their lives, being able to adapt quickly was a means for survival.
"Your name is legendary, Captain Deidara, just as much as my father’s name, though the stories give little description on your stature." Resting her elbow on the arm of the chair, Tenten idly stroked the underside of her chin innocently enough and continued. "I would be very surprised that there were some who have not heard of the Rising Phoenix and his exploits along the Atlantic coasts."
She definately knew how to stroke an ego, but he only let it show on his face, not blinded by it. Women were very crafty. Deviously crafty. On the outside, he gave a smug grin and sat back. "As any pirate wishes, un," he said, nodding his head to her. "If I'm to be staying on your ship for the time being, I shall go retrieve my affects. Would you like to come with me, or meet you at your ship, un?" Her doing the favors, she would be deciding on the little details like that. He stood up and went to the door with a smile, winking at the waitress who giggled and moved aside to let him go outside. He hadn't paid, but they'd only notice that when it was too late.
Casting a fleeting glance towards the counter, she tossed a silver coin or two across the table before soundlessly pushing back her chair to stand as well. Drawing up her hood, Tenten easily swept past the drunk partons like a ghost in the night and stepped outside into the evening air without a word. The owner and waitresses were too busy with customers to truly notice their departure or remember that nothing Deidara ordered had been paid for yet, and it was none of her business to tell.
She looked up to the sky and watched silently as the clouds slowly crept over the moon to bathe the village into shadows, and waited for the roar of the tea house to quiet down to a muffled stillness with the closing of the front door. Keeping her back to him, she replied to his previous question merely turning her head to the side to show that he was being addressed. "I'll meet you on the docks when you are done gathering your things." And with that, she disappeared into the darkness, not a sound heard save for the fluttering of her cape.
Setting: A tavern in Singapore
Time: Late evening.
Summary: Tenten meets as scheduled with Deidara and discuss why he's come to visit her.
Warning(s): None.
Deidara arrived in Singapore after stowing away on a merchants ship going to the same destination. He'd sent his mark for Tenten and received a location to meet. Singapore was very dark at night, those living here didn't seem to need the light to see at night. Very few lanterns hung on the port as he walked towards the pub he was to meet Singapore pirate captain Tenten.
The pub was dark as well, an orange glow lit the room from the large fire in the hearth, women in dark kimonos served the men sitting around drinking and eating. The drunk in Singapore seemed to be much more well behaved then those in the British colonies, that fact amused Deidara as he sat down at an empty table in the corner, ordering dango sticks and rum - no rum, damn - sake then please darling. He nibbled on his snack, waiting patiently for the Captain to arrive.
With a tired sigh, she turned the corner onto the main street where there rested the Rising Dragon, one of the more questionable of tea houses in the local village, for lack of a better description. It was certainly not a place those of her particular gender generally made a habit of visiting with the exception of two conditions: 1). they were among the women who worked at the establishment; and/or 2). they were looking for a night of excitement and thrill, an answer to their curiosity that was doomed to be forgotten once the effects of the sake wore off in the morning. Neither applied to Tenten of course, a more serious reason driving her steps forward.
It had been several months since a pirate captain had attempted to seek her out, more than likely wishing to make use of one or more charts and maps that littered her studies. A small annoyance from time to time, but at the very least, this Deidara was polite in his persistent persuit. Most others would have tracked down her ship and simply try to steal the parchments from her room by now, to no avail, naturally, because she was more careful and protective of those treasures than her own innocence, of which she had lost long ago in every sense of the word.
But then again, better that they be after those items than her head, Tenten thought. Navigational charts and lost treasure could be replaced; body parts were a bit trickier to do without as several of her crew already knew too well. So it was with that thought that Tenten had considered meeting with this man instead of foregoing any sort of communication. She was a true pirate brat, born and raised into the profession; avoidance was like second nature and it would not have been too difficult to evade his search completely. But Tenten was curious as well as to why he would go through all the trouble. Surely there were easier ways than following her across the globe.
And so it was with that thought that she slid open the door and stepped inside to the boom of roaring drunks and good cheer tainted by the sharp scent of sake. Pulling back the hood of her cloak, the pirate captain quickly scanned the room of patrons before seating herself in the corner, knowing that any one of them could very well be the man who had been looking for her.
Azure eyes followed the familiar face enter and cross the room. They hadn't met in years, he wondered if she remembered their last meeting. It had been brief so perhaps she did not. That was alright with him, he wasn't one seeking out for acknowledgment or fear of his name. He was already known for his seal of a flying bird, his explosives and his knack for escaping capture. Lifting up his cup to his mouth to drink the last of his sake, Deidara stood and crossed the room, nodding the waitress to the table to show he wasn't trying to stiff her of payment. Leaning forward he blew softly on the back of her neck, wisely far enough away that he wouldn't get stabbed or head butted in the process of his playful act. There weren't many female pirates, especially in Singapore, she wasn't that hard to recognize.
"Hello, Captain, un," Deidara said, stepping back just in case she had a long sword that would make him in reach. Over his clothes he wore a knee length leather coat, worn with weather and wear that held his hair against his clothes underneath the material. All save for the lock that never wanted to stay out of his eye, sliding lazily back in place whenever he pushed it back.
And indeed, her initial reaction had been to pull out the sword hidden under her cloak and give due punishment to the young man who dared waste her time and attention. She was not some prize or decorated doll to be toyed with. Tenten gave the proper respect to all those she met and demanded the same in return or there was no business to discuss. However, there was something in the tone of his voice and the familiar air in which it was used that stilled her movements.
“The people here say that it is dangerous and foolish to provoke a spitting dragon,” she said instead, her hands remaining calmly where they were in her lap, “You would do well to listen to such advice.”
Risking a glance out the corner of her eye, Tenten took in his appearance for the first time that night and quietly wondered how she could have missed the blonde locks in the sea of dark tresses that speckled the bar’s dark shadows. “So…you are the one they call Deidara.” It was more of a statement than a question, but yet her brow still lifted curiously as if unsure if her suspicions were correct or not. Sometimes, one could not be too sure.
"Then it is a good thing you are not a spitting dragon, un," was the reply. "It would be most unfitting picture for you, though maybe the dragon part, I wouldn't argue against." He slid around her chair and sat across from her, settling down and ordered another bottle of sake. "Would you care for dumplings, un?" he questioned as he ordered some for himself.
As the waitress turned to get the answer from Deidara's question from Tenten, Deidara reached into his pocket and placed a piece of old weathered leather onto the table by the pirate captain's glass, the flying bird burnt onto it's top just as the message sent to her before. It was his symbol. He was a pirate Captain as well, just without a ship. It was most irritating, especially when he had things to do. Like now. Which was why he was here to speak to her in the first place.
Eyes the color of the earth glanced at the scrap of leather beside her drink, acknowledging the symbol of the man without a word. It was the same as the message she had received in India. And that had been answer enough for Tenten, and so she moved on without fail. Shaking her head and waving off the offer of dumplings, she tapped a thin finger against the cup in front of her, asking the waitress for another bottle of sake instead. “You speak as if you know me well.”
Tenten waited for the woman to leave before speaking again, idly tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear in the same casual and calm demeanor as before. Leaning in a bit closer, her voice was soft and low, as if a secret was being shared with him. “But how can that be possible if we have only met just now, I wonder.”
Deidara folded his fingers together and tilted his head to the side. "And I thought dragons were supposed to have incredible memories, un. Apparently not," his voice was dripping with innocent teasing. He closed his eyes a moment, the pushed his hair back behind his ear. "This is not the only time we've met, though I wonder if you'd believe me if I told you even if I attempted to bring back memories. Some might not be pleasant," he told her with a smile on his face with the air of talking about some delicious food he'd had a few days ago.
Tenten went silent at the mention of bad memories, darkened eyes shifting to stare at her sake cup in thought. There had been many of them in her lifetime, even before she began her career as a pirate. And there would be more still. After all, she was still young. "There are very few memories that are pleasant in this profession and eventually they all bleed together. You should know that. But that explains it."
Fixing Deidara in her sights, she showed little of her emotions, keeping them hidden like she had been taught to when younger and still bound within the social laws of China...though, there might have been a small glint of something in her eyes, if he knew where to look and how to see it. "There are not many who know that Tenten the Spitting Dragon is a woman. And you addressed me as 'Lady' in your messages. But your name...I do not remember it save for the stories I've heard of your reputation."
To Deidara, this profession did indeed have unpleasant moments, but nothing that would be so traumatic that he wouldn't remember the fun parts. Giving her a sly grin that slid on his face oh so happily, he pushed away the thick sheet of blond locks over his left eye and allowed her to see the scope covering it like a eye patch. Very few knew who the nine pirate kings were, but each contained an artifact that was well known. They kept them on their persons at all times, never relenting them unless they were dying. Then it was their duty to pass on the piece to a new possessor who would take their place.
"I sailed with you and your father in search for the hidden treasure on your sadly brief visit to the Caribbean oh so long ago, un," he told her, letting the hair fall back in place. Closing his eyes a moment as though to let himself slide back into the passed a moment, as the waitress brought them sake and dumplings. When she was gone, he popped back into his normal demeanor and picked up a stick of dumplings to nibble on. "These are delicious, un!" he said, eating the first.
Tenten's brows knitted together, repeating his words in a quiet mumble of confusion. "The Caribbean?"
In all the years that she had sailed alongside her father, they had only made the trip to the Atlantic ports twice because of the distance and time required to make the quest; time he was less than willing to spend away from his territory in the South China Sea. Tenten was still too young to recall what had happened the first time they had sailed there, remembering only that she had spent her afternoons watching the gulls fly through the maze of ships sails making port. But the last time he had made the trip had truly prove to be his last. It was after leaving the Caribbean that Shirou had chosen to sail for the British Isles where his fate was sealed with a finely pointed bullet to the heart.
And the scope covering Deidara's eye...how could she forget something like that? Granted Tenten was never one to pay close attention to the sort of men her father had consorted with. It was none of her business or concern as long as they did not betray him. But then again, the strange apparatus looked well hidden under the curtain of the man's bangs, so perhaps she could have easily just missed noticing it.
Lost in that thought, she ignored Deidara's comment on the dumplings, already finding that her appetite was gone and replaced by a unsated curiosity. "Of course. You sailed with my father and so would know of me...and my identity. That is how you knew to find me, correct?"
"When dragons turn up, it's hard not to hear of where they dwell, un," Deidara said matter of factly. He finished his stick and sipped his sake then looked at her. "I have, unfortunately run into my own British trouble and have lost my ship and crew." He rest his chin in his hand and looked up at her. "I haven't stopped my own journey though. Your father gave me the information for the treasure of the Caribbean, I shared it with him which he sent back with you." He rubbed his nose a moment in thought. "Odd I'd be coming to you, his daughter for the same thing." he murmured more to himself then to Tenten.
"Is it truly so odd to believe, I wonder?" Her voice was soft and gentle, as if reaching out to a distant memory while she spoke. Looking off to the side in thought, Tenten reached out a delicate hand and poured herself another cup of sake, milky skin slipping out from under her cloak to glow in the candlelight of the tea house for the briefest of moments before disappearing into darkness once more. Such was the story of her life. "A man like my father was bound to leave behind a legacy in the wake of his death, even if he did not have children."
It was not an uncomfortable subject, speaking of her father when he was only two years dead. But Tenten would still occasionally have nightmares of that day and the last moments in which she saw Shirou's face watching to ensure that she would reach safety.
"Such an unfortunate turn of luck for you indeed. While a crew can be easily replaced, a captain is nothing without his ship." She took a long draw from her cup in hopes of forgetting such haunted dreams and looked expectantly over the rim at Deidara. Her eyes caught the light of the flames in such a way that the specks of gold within almost appeared glowing, giving the young woman the fiery look of her namesake; the Spitting Dragon. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Ahh... you see you are his daughter and have inherited his things, un," Deidara told her, spreading his hands out as though he was at a loss of what to do with them. "Your father had something that belonged to me at one time and by a long hand to hand passage made it's way to his." He looked at her expectantly, then poured himself another cup to sip and consider something she had said. "It all depends though... on what you consider a Captain is, un," a slow grin spread over his face as he looked over at her. "Would you introduce yourself as the Pirate Lord Tenten the Spitting Dragon if you were without a ship? Wouldn't I introduce myself as Pirate Lord Deidara, Master of fire? The lack of a ship wouldn't stop people from calling me Phoenix," he grinned at her, tilting his head to the side. Many people had tried to kill him, destroy him, get rid of him. He always managed to escape death, coming back when least expected.
"What I need," he continued, finishing his cup then poured himself another, "is that item... a crew or ship would be decent, but that I am not concerned for."
Blinking slowly, she regarded him evenly. There was much in her keeping that had previously belonged to her father, a large collection of maps included among other valuable treasures. What this man wanted, Tenten could only imagine. But to admit to this stranger of a man that she might have it now in her possession would have been foolish, at least until she discovered what he was after. "What makes you so sure that I've inherited it?"
Tilting her head back in a quick gulp, she drained the last of the sake in her cup and set the small piece of porcelain softly back down on the table. "My father sailed the world on a thousand and one adventures. It could be anywhere." She paused a moment to lock eyes with his, a smirk slowly creeping across her face as well with his words, true as they were. "And I suppose, without a ship, my father was still considered the Dragon of the East."
"Because this item is useless for people who don't know how to use it, un," Deidara told her. "And is too valuable to trade away. Your father helped me discover it and granted it's ownership to myself. He had no interest in what it did, nor could he discover the complicated puzzle it was." He smiled a little as he nibbled on a new dumpling. "No offense to your father, but he was not particularly good at solving puzzles," his grin widened a little at some long passed memory.
Twirling the small stick in his fingers, he thought for a moment. "There was one adventure he didn't wish to sail too," Deidara told her. "I didn't have the ties to the world that he had when we discovered this item. True adventures have the possibility of ending in death, or no return whatsoever. Your father didn't want to take you on such an adventure, un. Even the strongest dragon will protect their offspring," Deidara smiled at her with a slight tilt of his head, meeting her eyes.
Pouring the both of them another cup with an easy tilt of the bottle, Tenten stifled a scoff of amusement. “No, he self-admittedly was not, so no offense taken. I suppose that was the reason behind his insistence that I gained a skill for puzzles.” Settling back in her chair with a shrug, she nonchalantly took a quiet sip from her cup. “I merely assumed that he had other plans for me.”
Plans that he did not have the time to complete, she would have added. But she stopped herself from going down that path. Had Tenten been conversing with one of the old crewmen who had served under her father for a great many years, perhaps she would have continued. But this Deidara, this young captain without a ship or, she barely knew at all save extravagant rumors milling around the ports; exaggerated reputations were how legends were created. And yet the both of them had had a living connection all these years. Why could she not remember him?
“You knew much of my father, Captain Deidara.” Perhaps more than she, herself, knew. Tenten took another sip of her sake as she began to realize that there was an entire chapter of her father’s life she knew nothing of. And this man could more than likely tell her the stories that were missing, ones Shirou would (or perhaps could) never tell her because of the danger that came with such knowledge. “Yes, my father was a cautions man for my sake. Tch. A lot of good that did him in the end."
Deidara merely shrugged at the seeming bitterness statement. "We choose our paths, accepting consequences of those choices is what makes us men - or women," he inclined to here.
"Your father didn't believe me when I told him about this particular item to this particular location known only in myths, un," he told her. "But he decided to humor me and followed mine in his ship to search for it. We found the item, but he decided not to search for the location. We were about to part our separate ways when HMS came upon us. They'd been searching for me, but who wouldn't want two pirate captains to boast? Your father took the item, assuring me he'd keep it safe and we parted. The ships chased mine and loaded their cannons with burning oil and burned the ship to the ground." He grinned widely, looking at her from across the table as he sipped his drink. "They fished me out of the water but discovered halfway back to the port that I'd gotten away." He laughed allowed, thinking of the stories that had burst through that escape. Nothing in the cell was not intact. It appeared that there'd been no one inside before, yet Deidara had gotten away.
Breathing in deep through her nose and letting out a long breath, she sighed out her misplaced bitterness. Tenten’s father was dead as a result of his own choices. Her life was more important than his, that much had been clear. To blame herself or others for it would be pointless, and so was arguing with strangers about it. Nothing would change the outcome. “Believe what you will, Captain. I grow weary of dwelling on it.”
With her thumb and middle finger, she twisted the sake cup between her thin digits, thinking over the details of his tale from start to finish, looking for the puzzle that was not there…or perhaps the one that was hidden under all the extravagant words and impossible feats.
“Your story is rather interesting, though somewhat typical from all the others that I have heard of you. But I do have one question.” Looking up from where she had been staring at the ratted and rough tabletop, Tenten angled her head to the side in a curious manner. However, her tone was anything but innocent. “If your story proves true, why is it that you never came seeking to reclaim this item from my father when he was alive?”
Deidara shook his head a little, his own grin spreading across his face. "A number of reasons that you would be bored with hearing. I've been without a ship those two years and have been, to put it bluntly, doing other things." He mimicked her 'innocent' and curious manner with a smile. He wouldn't be stupid enough to spill all the beans to her now. "If I told you what it was would you give me the item?" he questioned, resting his chin in his hand.
“I think I should decide for myself if your tales prove uninteresting or not. They have kept you away from what I gather is a rather important item, after all.” Continuing to turn the cup between her fingers, she addressed him with her own smile. “In my experience, if something is as valuable and desired as you make this trinket out to be, absolutely nothing would stand in the way. And you have made that clear enough by coming all this way to find me.”
Keeping her demeanor reserved, almost coy, Tenten brought the sake cup to her lips. The light scent of the rice wine filled her nose, drowning out the stale stench of the other customers. “But whether or not you receive this item from me truly depends on a great many things, the first being if this treasure is, indeed, even in my possession."
"That it does," he said nodding a little. "But you have no use for it. Perhaps I've waited this long because I'm aware of the puzzle this item contains and knew that I wasn't properly prepared for it until now." He sat back, watching her closely as the waitress came and took their empty plate of dumplings and asked if they were eating or wanted anything else. Deidara ordered another plateful, smiling at her, but went back to his drink before she even left. He waited until she returned a few minutes later to speak again, staring into his cup even after he left. "Your father was a good man, good pirate. He wouldn't have joined forces with myself to get the item if he didn't trust me in some form. I'm keeping his honor secure by coming to you myself instead of simply stealing it for you, but I don't have eternal patience."
“My father had his reasons for not taking the path this item would lead him down, me being the main one as you so eloquently pointed out.” Leaning on one arm for support in a bored manner, she swirled her finger into the rice wine in idle thought and proceeded to trace it along the edge of the cup. Bringing that same finger to her own lips, Tenten gently sucked up what remained of the sake from her digit before addressing Deidara once more. “I, on the other hand, am not bound by such earthly ties. So who is to say that I‘ve no use for it…if I even have it to begin with?”
It was an innocent game of sweetened words and feigned courtesy among those who were neither established enemies nor trusted friends, one that the both of them were well accustomed to from what she could tell. So a little playfulness was something Tenten was more than ready for should the moment present itself. But the serious shift in the blonde’s demeanor and attitude had her switching gears as well. “I do not doubt that my father trusted you, Captain Deidara. But I am not my father and have no reason to trust you.” She straightened up her posture to convey her understanding that games were done and that it was time to get to the situation at hand, her voice dropping down to a softer octave so that no one else would be able to over hear their conversation. “However, I respect that you would honor my father in such a way and will give you the benefit of a doubt…for now.”
“I think we’ve wasted enough of your time and mine avoiding the matter all together, so let me get to the point.” Tenten leaned in and locked her brown eyes with his sea of blue, voice dropping just a bit more at the lessened distance. “What is it that you are seeking?"
"An item that leads to a treasure, that is not like any other treasure, un," Deidara told her. "It is a map." He closed his eyes a moment then sat back, no longer hungry or thirsty. "But the map has both the directions as well as the things must done to avoid the most impending doom, un." He gave her his most pleasant smile, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them.
"There are many maps in my possession, as you are most likely well aware." If he wanted to play at riddles, then so be it. She could dance around answers as well, all night if necessary. Tenten was not bound by time restraints as Deidara seemed to be, and was in the land of her ancestors. Her territory, her advantage, as Shirou would have said if he were still among the living. So with a shrug, she continued with an air of nonchalance, eyes wandering with indifference. "A fair number of them are treasure maps, too, not uncommon among pirates." She tilted her head to the other side in a curious manner, though the smirk on the young woman's lips was devilish, almost mocking. "Which one are you hoping to possess?"
"This one doesn't give particular direction to it's destination, un," Deidara said with a shake of his head. He thought silently to himself, going over his memories to picture the map in his head. "It's thicker the most maps, made of thin wood and leather, un. It's in a tube to keep the paintings on it free of the salt water." He watched her, settling back. "While I'm in no hurry, I'm not the most patient man on the ocean."
He had to resist the urge to fold his arms in irritation. Shirou was so much more agreeable then her. Women. Honestly.
"I can tell that you are not." With a pout, she eyed the embellished details in the porcelain before downing the last of the sake in her cup. Licking up the last traces of it from her lips, she quietly set the cup back down on the table. "And yet you still dance around your answers like a drunken sailor."
She sighed softly, an even breath that neither told of her equal frustration nor her weariness for how the meeting was going. The blonde had too many contradictions, too many mannerisms that bordered on hypocrisy. Not a patient man, he said. And yet he would not reply to her questions with clear and precise answers, only delaying them even further, a trait that was more so annoying, at best. Though she supposed to say the name out loud would be of more trouble than it was worth to simply play his little games. Many would be after it and her if they knew it's location.
"But I do believe I have seen this item of which you describe." Leaning forward, resting a forearm on the table, she placed the cup quietly on the table and waited for his response. If it was really his as Deidara had claimed, she would hand it over without fail. A pirate she was, but an honorable, as little as that was worth in their profession.
He perked up a little, though it was barely noticeably. Despite his frustration and irritation, she had his undivided attention now. If she had seen it, and had it in her possession, then he'd be even closer to disembarking on one of the greatest adventures known to the pirating world. The invention of the map was not known, but Deidara wasn't stupid. His constant ill preparation made him a little cautious on this endeavour. He planned to go out eventually in a form of artistic pleasure, not dying in his ship from being unprepared. His fingers worked into the clay piece in his left hand, softening it into a workable substance, waiting for her to continue.
His interest seemed instant, though subtle, and his irritation was merely a distant memory soon forgotten. Tenten could undersand that. The allure of coming so close to reaching your goal, whatever it may be, was intoxicating. But then again, nothing in life came so easily.
"If this is truly yours, as you state, and my father was merely holding it for you, I would be more than happy to hand it over. My father taught me to be honorable when honor is warrented, and he was a man who lived by his word...most of the time." In piracy, there were no clearly marked lines dividing things into what was acceptable and what was not. Established codes were merely guidelines that one could either choose to follow or rebel against and there would be no grave punishment save for the one lead by a person's conscience. After all, rarely was there a cut and dry solution to daily conflicts that arose in their line of work. "However, there lies my problem: How can I be absolutely sure that this, indeed, belongs to you?"
Ah, the loopholes women find. Deidara frowned in thought, giving her a steady look. "Your father's logs of the voyage, I dont keep such boring things, un," he waved his hand a little, settlign back in his chair. "If you're simply going to play coy and... how did you say? Dance around like a drunken sailor, I've nothing else to discuss with you, un." He sat back, waiting for her response, preparing to leave and find other means of getting the map back if she was going to be difficult. He wouldnt mind trading something in for her... or doing something for her, anything. Well no... anything is a broad term that gets you into trouble. Almost anything.
Her brows furrowed with contained frustration and irritation, though the even line of Tenten's mouth remained unwavering. It was like a slap in the face to be accused of such a thing, especially when she was being completely serious about the matter. To even have the legendary map that lead to...it was a stroke of luck that this item had ended up in the young woman's possession without effort or risk on her part.
Fixing him with a hard glare, she took a deeper tone as she spoke, one of deadly venom and seriousness as she spoke. "This is no mere trinket. This item that you are seeking is very important and deadly. People have died for it, have killed for it. To hand it over without question would be foolish of me and a betrayal of my father's trust when he left it in my care...so you can understand my precaution."
She paused for a long moment to let her words set in before continuing more calmly. "As I said before, if it is truly yours then I will hand it over without trouble. And the only way to know for sure is to search through my father's log, which will take time." Sighing, she straightened up in her chair, facial features softening just slightly at the mere thought of all the trouble that would no doubt come of this. "I apologize for the inconvienence, but until then you will simply have to wait, you understand. After two years, you can certainly wait a few more days."
"I can, but what am I to do in the mean time?" he questioned. "To enter a pirates territory and pirate myself is an insult to you, but I have nothing to live off of while you immerse yourself in your father's logs, un." He'd stowed away to get here, not on his own money. All his money was in a cave with the rest of his stolen treasure somewhere hidden away. He hated waiting. Waiting with a purpose was one thing, waiting for something he didn't know was there was something else. He knew Shirou was good at that keeping logs, almost as good as Deidara was bad. He was sure it was in there, but Tenten could become so immersed in her fathers words that she miss it, or take even longer. He didn't know her, only as the young girl who was learning to be a pirate, not the woman who was.
"You are more than welcome to stay on my ship while you wait," she offered. It was a simple decision, really, and it followed the age-old rule of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer. And while this Captain Deidara had yet to prove himself a threat to her, he was far from being a friend. As Tenten had learned while sailing the high seas with her father, it was a fine line between indifferent acquaintances and enemies. "If not then, I'm sure you could arrange something for yourself."
Leaning back in her chair as well, she settled on a comfortable denmeanor, niether coy nor threatening, however it did border on friendly and perhaps a bit challenging. "You have been without a ship for a very long time and I've no doubt that your resourcefulness is impressive, if the stories of you are true."
"Oh? You've heard of me?" he asked, lacing his fingers together once more to rest his chin on them, leaning forward towards her, grinning almost Cheshire like. Now that the dark disagreement was over and done with, Deidara agreeing to stay in her ship for the time being, Deidara ordered them another round of drinks. "What kind of stories, un?" Apparently they must be good as Tenten used the words 'no doubt' 'resourcefulness' and 'impressive'. He liked those words when they were about him.
A mere pause was all that she allowed herself before giving a light chuckle in reaction to his sudden smile, meeting it with one of her own. It really amazed her how easily he could change and adapt to the situation as it shifted and altered right in front of his eyes. But really, any true pirate could manage the same thing. With so many uncertainties looming on the horizon at every turn of their lives, being able to adapt quickly was a means for survival.
"Your name is legendary, Captain Deidara, just as much as my father’s name, though the stories give little description on your stature." Resting her elbow on the arm of the chair, Tenten idly stroked the underside of her chin innocently enough and continued. "I would be very surprised that there were some who have not heard of the Rising Phoenix and his exploits along the Atlantic coasts."
She definately knew how to stroke an ego, but he only let it show on his face, not blinded by it. Women were very crafty. Deviously crafty. On the outside, he gave a smug grin and sat back. "As any pirate wishes, un," he said, nodding his head to her. "If I'm to be staying on your ship for the time being, I shall go retrieve my affects. Would you like to come with me, or meet you at your ship, un?" Her doing the favors, she would be deciding on the little details like that. He stood up and went to the door with a smile, winking at the waitress who giggled and moved aside to let him go outside. He hadn't paid, but they'd only notice that when it was too late.
Casting a fleeting glance towards the counter, she tossed a silver coin or two across the table before soundlessly pushing back her chair to stand as well. Drawing up her hood, Tenten easily swept past the drunk partons like a ghost in the night and stepped outside into the evening air without a word. The owner and waitresses were too busy with customers to truly notice their departure or remember that nothing Deidara ordered had been paid for yet, and it was none of her business to tell.
She looked up to the sky and watched silently as the clouds slowly crept over the moon to bathe the village into shadows, and waited for the roar of the tea house to quiet down to a muffled stillness with the closing of the front door. Keeping her back to him, she replied to his previous question merely turning her head to the side to show that he was being addressed. "I'll meet you on the docks when you are done gathering your things." And with that, she disappeared into the darkness, not a sound heard save for the fluttering of her cape.