Thief and Postman

The second day, Alicel took the chains off him. No reason to leave them on, said the Postman. White was free to run away if he wants to, he added. The thief, though confused with the sudden turn of events, merely frowned and sat down for breakfast.

Last night, the Postman hadn't even lain down to sleep. White had ended up hoarding the soft bed, sleeping through the night until the morning, when the bartender came in with breakfast.

They ate at their leisure, finishing their plates and wiping the leftover sauces with bread. They couldn't have coffee but White did get a cup of hot milk. It's been a long time since he last drank any and the thief tried to make it last as long as it could.

Afterwards, the Postman had dressed and would have left White in the room if the thief hadn't insisted on following him. Alicel merely shrugged and told him to do what he wants before walking out of the room. White had hurried after the older man, taking time to wrap himself up securely in his new cloak.

It was still early but already the merchants were at their stalls, setting up shop. The slaves were still dozing in their cages and White was able to observe them without harm.

Most of the collared bodies were young, not one of them looked older than their mid-thirties. Some were muzzled, others chained all over. One of them, a child was awake and was staring at White with one milky white eye, the other was a brilliant green. The child was naked save for a rag tied around his waist, he or she was at the age where children can pass of for either gender.

The thief started to approach the child, wondering if it could talk. He'd heard of broken slaves before, but most of those were already in their twenties or older. It was rare to find somone broken at this young an age, and White wondered if this one really had the mind of an animal.

However, before he could even get within ten feet of the cage, Alicel's hand was suddenly on his shoulder, pulling him back.

"Don't talk to him."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't want to know-" if he is broken or not. That was Alicel's unspoken sentence. White knew that he was turning a blind eye, and it didn't sit well with him. Alicel too, despite being a Postman, can't do anything about it. The older man had known that and had saved White from the pain of knowing.

The two walked away from the slaves, but it didn't mean that the sight of the child with the one green eye would be out of their head.

Slavers, though frowned upon, still became somewhat legal. As long as they stuck to the broken ones. But because of Eden, even the normal people are being affected, and sometimes the hands of man had more of a fault in it. It takes little to break one's mind these days.

White shivered despite the cloak and glanced at the taller man. The usual smile in the Postman's blue eyes was gone and instead he looked somewhat murderous. When he realized that White was looking at him, Alicel blinked and smiled. A pat on the thief's head and the man headed down to the 2nd deck through the stairs.

Coralie was made of seven levels starting from the keel to the sundeck. Between the keel and the normal first deck where the merchants were, there were four more levels. The engine room and the storage bay was at the very bottom and is also underwater so that place was off-limits. Above it were Coralie's version of the slums, it was where Alicel had gone to yesterday delivering the few letters meant for people living in this area.

The Postman was thankful that he had the presence of mind to leave White with Margith when he went down last night. Nothing good lived in the third and fourth decks, the 2nd deck was no better, but at least it wasn't all passenger cabins like the 3rd deck had been. The 2nd deck had fewer squatters and more headquarters in it, considering that there were only about 20-30 individual areas in it. Old restaurants, recreation areas such as a billiard hall and a bowling alley, an empty pool.. and second-class cabins. These were few of the areas on the 2nd deck, and thus the Postman and his charge were able to clear the area within a few hours.

They did run into some trouble with a few idiots who didn't recognize a Postman without his mask on. But Alicel quickly dispatched of them, once chucking a rather insistent youth overboard. White noticed that not one of their attackers died.

The 1st deck was a different story. It was all hustle and bustle up here, no-one stayed in one place. Looking for people was something that Postmen were good at, as White had found out. Alicel always delivered the correct letter to the correct person. The older man didn't even wait for confirmation, just handed the letter to the reciever and off he went, looking for the next person.

White had trouble keeping up because of the crowd and was once again nearly carried off if Alicel hadn't noticed.

"What am I to do with you?" the Postman had muttered before slowing his pace and grabbing the thief's hand in his.

Around and around they went, delivering letters to perfect strangers. After all, there was no way for Alicel to memorize all of these people's names, where they lived or worked, and how they looked like. White made a mental note to ask the Postman about it, as soon as they can catch a moment to breath.

They rounded a corner, and was soon back in the area where the slaves were earlier. White's gaze immediately landed on the child's now empty cage, and Alicel's attention was surely on it as well.

Without another word, White broke free from the Postman's grip and ran up to the slaver who owned the child slave. The thief could hear Alicel calling him but he ignored it and approached the man instead.

The slaver was as gaunt as everyone else, but he was obviously making good money out of the slave trading business. After all, the creep was smoking a cigarette with wild abandon.

As White came up to him, the slaver's gaze roved over the thief's cloaked form. What he saw probably satisfied him, if that leering smile was to judge by.

"Would you like to buy a slave of your own?" the man asked with a sneer. The Postman's approach though wiped it off his face.

"White..." Alicel's voice was laden with warnings as he stood behind the boy.

"The child. The one with the green eye. Where is he?" White asked quitely, his eyes fixed on the collar now lying bare in the cage.

"Oh, him? A good patron bought him hours ago." the slaver answered off-handedly before adding his own remark. "Why? Are you interested in kids as well... little one? I have a couple more coming in this week, would you like a reservation?"

White chose to ignore the question and realized that Alicel was pulling him away, once again. The Postman's grip was tighter as they went up to the smaller deck above the main one. This place was less-crowded and infinitely quieter than the one they left, but the Postman didn't stop there. He pulled White along as they climbed higher and higher, until they reached the rickety sun deck.

This place was empty and far from prying eyes, and here the Postman released his arm.

The two stood silent for some time, as they settled themselves on the rusty floor, eyes on the wide open sea.

"In the end, I never found out." White muttered, the memory of the child still fresh on his mind.

Silence from the Postman.

"So young..."

"He was called Meer, a boy of 8. He was caught along with his broken mother when their estate was stormed by slavers. They were rich, were able to afford to get themselves fixed. They lived like kings, eating steaks and lobsters and stuff like caviar and truffles. They always went on cruises on ships like the Coralie, travelling around the world non-stop. His father loved him, his mother adored him, his older brother took such care of him. He was happy..."

White listened with a smile.

"He sounded like a spoiled brat."

"He wasn't. He was too young. He would have grown up to be someone important like his father. His teachers would have sang praises about him. He'd have married his childhood friend, would have had three kids, all girls. He'll die happy."

"...But he wouldn't."

The Postman fell silent at that and ruffled the thief's hair. There was no smile on the pale lips, no emotion in those sapphire orbs.

White let the hand play with his locks, letting the warmth soak through him.

"What you just said, is it real or made-up?"

"I'm not sure myself." and this time Alicel's smile looked broken.

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They had returned to the bar in silence, Alicel's grip on his hand never loosening. Sabina had asked them about lunch, White had told her not to bother as the two slipped to their room.

The Postman had gone into the bathroom, White could hear him undressing through the open door. There was the sound of running water, a splash, and then silence.

The thief had taken his cloak off had tidied the Postman's discarded cloak and boots. He knocked on the open bathroom door and slipped in.

Alicel was sitting in the tub, letting the water fill up around him. White had no idea how Sabina had managed it, but seems like the pipes weren't just rustmakers in this inn.

The water was only a few inches high, not enough even reach Alicel's waist as he sat, the thief was treated to a full view of the Postman's body but the older man didn't seem to notice.

"Alicel." White started. He dropped down besides the tub and stared at the Postman's face. Uncovered, the older man a sight to behold. Without touching, White was sure that those muscles would be firm, the skin smooth and velvety.

"What is it?" the Postman asked quietly, eyes now boring on White. Almost as though he wasn't aware of it, Alicel reached out and ruffled the thief's hair. Fingers brushing against skin sometimes.

"Why did you let me loose?"

"Hm, I'm not sure."

"What will happen to that kid?"

"I'm not sure."

"What will happen to me?"

"Not sure..."

The sound of the water flowing from the tap reigned for a bit before White stood up and took off his clothes. With a sigh he stepped into the tub and took the space opposite the Postman, drawing his knees to his chest.

"What are you doing?" Alicel asked as the added mass made the water around him rise. He raised his knees a bit, giving more space to the boy in front of him.

"Not sure." was White's response even as he relaxed. The water was just below his bellybutton now, but without bubbles and suds, everything was in full view.

The thief ran his eyes over the Postman's wide shoulders, over well-formed abs. He traced the slightly darker blonde line of hair, eyes averting when the line led to less public sight.

A chuckle made him flick his gaze upward, blue eyes on his own grey.

"What?"

"Nothing... just wondering what kind of things are going through that head of yours." Alicel answered and prodded his chin with one hand. The other hand dropped into the water with a splash and flicked at White wetly.

"I'm thinking that I still have a lot to learn and grow into." White answered levelly. He was talking about what had happened earlier but the chuckle that came from Alicel made him frown.

"That's for sure. You don't have a lot of hair down there yet."

White followed Alicel's gaze and blushed. No smart aleck remarks came to mind.

He let the silence simmer between them and when the water reached their chest, Alicel leaned back and turned the tap off.

"Why are you a Postman?"

Alicel glanced up from his thoughts and ran his fingers through his wet hair, pulling the strands back.

"It was the only thing I could do. Eden does not allow us to choose, I took what I got, same as you did."

"But how did you become one? And is it true that Postmen can fly? What about the way you're able to deliver those letters to their recievers? Do you have to study to become a Po-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy with the questions White. The way you're talking makes me think that you're actually interested in becoming one."

The thief's silence made the Postman stop laughing, the serious expression on White's face turning him somber as well.

"I advise you to not go for it. When I leave, I'll let you go back to your band. They'll all be waiting for you eagerly, won't they?" Alicel murmured and lounged back in the tub.

"Why not?"

"Because, I said so. Now stop asking questions and get out of my tub."

"What?! But I'm bathing! And this is soo not your tub." White argued. He quickly grabbed the tub rim when Alicel bent towards him.

They were so close that they were actually pressing against each other.

"Get out of my tub or I'll rape you."

The voice was barely a whisper but it made the thief squeak and clamber for safety. Safety which he had to find outside the tub.

White landed on his rump as he slipped out from under the Postman's form. He heard a low soft whistle and turned around to Alicel, now back in his previousy relaxed position.

"Ooh~ nice view there."

"PERVERT!!!"

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Whoa! 3 chapters in one weekend. I'm on a roll!!!
Well, technically, it's two chapters and a half, but...

Anyway, thanks to you guys for reading and reviewing. I'll leave you with this very confusing chapter *innocent smile* for now. Till next weekend!