This is another story based off of the GOS game I play. I do not own the rights to these characters, but the stories themselves I’ve written. I hope that you can follow along if you don’t play. Enjoy!
The ship swayed and rocked and caused Sinadim to mess up the letter he was trying to write, again. He balled up the paper and tossed it overboard. The viziers were on a voyage to Athena, to discuss trade routes with the new Sultana there. Sinadim was asked along, as he usually is, because he was the boldest and most blunt vizier in the Sultan’s retinue. A reputation he was fond of. Or he thought he was fond of it. Tonight seemed to be the night that he felt like, maybe his reputation wasn’t a good one. Somehow he’d earned the nickname Sinacreep. Which wasn’t too bad, as he’d been called worse over the years, but she had called him Sinacreep. And she didn’t speak much. He’d always wondered what his name would sound like from her lips. Not in a sexual way, though, he’d be lying if he said that he never thought of her that way, but in a fond way. And he’d gone and ruined any chance of that. He was so angry with himself. Earlier that night he’d made an immature pass at her, the first woman who he thought he could truly love. And when she rightfully shut him down, what did he do? He’d gone ashore, gotten drunk, drugged and managed to lead pirates back to the ship and the other viziers. The fight was awesome, but the aftermath? Not so much. He’d let his crew down, he’d let her down. Sinadim growled and tossed his inkwell and quill into the sea. He scrubbed his hand down his face and groaned. How could he be so reckless? Was he really that stupid? Did he really let his pride get the best of him and put everyone at risk? All because he was too stupid to tell her how he feels? Did he have to be such an ass? If Hadim wasn’t so pissed at Sinadim, he’d talk it over with him. Resigned, he turned to head back to his quarters and almost ran into her. Sinadim didn’t know how long she’d been standing there. Didn’t know what she’d seen. He suddenly felt like a child being caught sneaking out of his room after curfew. He rushed past her, down the stairs, into his quarters and shut the door. He quickly stripped and laid down to rest. He’d deal with the day tomorrow. Maybe he could find Kilic and ask him for advice.
Tolana stood on the quarter deck, watching Sinadim retreat. She wondered what he was doing on the deck this late, or rather early in the morning. She hardly ever slept, and would usually be awake and on deck overnight. She’d taken a walk around the ship and saw him there, writing something, getting frustrated and ultimately leaving. She walked over to the barrel he was sitting on, where the paper he’d crumpled and thrown, had landed after the wind blew it back. She briefly considered respecting his privacy, but that thought didn’t last long. She had a swollen jaw thanks to Sinacreep. She opened the paper and began to read.
Dearest Tolana,
I’d like to apologize for my behaviour tonight. That isn’t who I want to be. To be honest, I’ve fancied you for years, admired your strength and courage in addition to your beauty. I’ve wanted to court you for a long time, but I’m an idiot and.
The letter stopped with a line through the last sentence. Tolana guessed that is where he messed up. She didn’t know what to think of the letter. She never had any romantic inclinations towards any of the guys she worked with. She was flattered though, but how much could she actually trust Sinadim?
Later that morning, Sinadim, still feeling foolish, went to visit the Sultana Aphrodite, to discuss the new trade routes. He took a different approach, as was customary that he negotiated alone, he invited Kilic along. And this time, was not as bold and blunt as was his reputation. He held his tongue, let the viziers for Sultana Aphrodite speak, and countered their arguments with sound ones. Ultimately the negotiation was a success for both sides. Kilic congratulated Sinadim on a job well done. “What made you ask me along?” Kilic asked as they walked back to the ship. Sinadim shrugged. “Trying something different is all. Just not happy with my reputation, and I want to change that.” Kilic the wise, nodded. “This is about last night isn’t it?” It was Sinadim’s turn to nod. “You all call me Sinacreep.” Kilic grimaced. “Given the way I acted last night, I’d expect SinaAss, or Sinastupid, why Sinacreep?” Kilic let out a guffaw.
“How did you know we call you that?” Sinadim leveled a look at Kilic. “Fair enough. Look, I didn’t come up with the name.” Sinadim kept looking at Kilic. “Alright, alright, it’s that smirk on your face. You know the cat that ate the canary look you have. It’s creepy man.” Sinadim frowned, then looked at Kilic. “That’s it, that’s the face.” Sinadim nodded again, and schooled his expression. “It’s meant to disarm someone, especially in a fight,” he explained. “Well it does a good job of it, that’s for sure.” Kilic chuckled.
Sinadim created that face a long time ago. When he was still a school boy. He’d gotten picked on by a kid almost thrice his size. The day came when he knew he’d have to fight the kid. He practiced looking menacing to hopefully scare the kid off. But the kid moved away before the fight ever came. As Sinadim got older he continued to use the look any time he faced an adversary. He hoped it made him look cunning or threatening, he certainly didn’t think it made him look like a creep.
They continued the journey in companionable silence. Once back at the ship Sinadim gathered the rest of the viziers to the main deck. “I called you all here to apologize for my immature actions last night. I did not act as my best self. I promise to never behave in that manner again. I am also working on no longer making the face that causes you to all refer to me as Sinacreep.” He looked around at each of his coworkers. He considered them sort of like his family. One by one each vizier nodded. Even Hadim. He looked over and saw her standing stoically. The wind blowing the hair from her face. He smiled at her, then grimaced, wondering if that came off creepy. He was pleasantly surprised when she smiled in return.
Sinadim treasured her smile, saved it to his memory for him to think about when he needed it most, then retreated to his quarters for the rest of the voyage home.
E Monique Writes 