Sorry it's been so long everyone. I've been busy: with work, moving to our condo, and my other stories. I'm working on my backlog though so hopefully my readers won't have to wait for much longer on all my story babies. KE

  Imp cleared his throat. "Excuse me Key, but you you didn't explain why your ship was called the Heartbreak Warfare."
  Key smiled, a little sadly. "Let Taemin tell his story first, okay? I'll get to it, I promise."
  Taemin hopped up from the table and went over to the bar, returning shortly with a mug of ale which he downed before beginning to speak.
  "I fell in love at first sight with who I thought was a Gypsy girl. She wore a heavy dress and covered her head and face with a thick veil. I never knew what she looked like, but I loved her spirit.
  "I never saw where she lived. The Gypsies prefer their privacy, but we had our own place for a short time. I'd gone after one of the village cows that had wandered astray when I came upon a short figure, singing sadly to herself as she searched for herbs and flowers.
  "I forgot about the cow as I went nearer to her, intrigued. It was a warm day, and where I was clad in nothing but rolled up trousers and a thin sleeveless shirt, here was someone I'd never seen before, dressed as though it was the middle of the harshest winter.
  "I hadn't meant to startle her. I only wanted to find out more, but when she finally looked my way, she dropped her knapsack and tried to run, only to get tangled in her long skirts and trip. I came up slowly, as though I were trying to get near a timid woodland creature, and introduced myself and asked her name. She mumbled something I didn't catch and tried to get up, only to fall again, so I offered my hand. At first she refused, but eventually, put her rather strong hand, in heavy woolen gloves in mine and allowed me to pull her to her feet.
  "I asked her name again, but before she could or would answer, she bolted for the woods, pulling me along until we were deep into the forest. Once we reached a hidden little clearing, she let go of my hand and collapsed onto a rock, motioning me to another nearby.
  "That was when I learned it was no woman until all those thick layers. It was a man who gave his name as Jonghyun. He said he was an outcast from the nearby Gypsy camp, existing on the fringes of their society, ekeing out a living for himself with the wild plants he could gather, animals he could hunt and raising a few goats and a small garden. He was under a curse, much like yours, and had been forbidden to communicate with others, but couldn't leave either. He was allowed to trade his homemade soaps and cheese and dried herbs only once a year for the few things he required, such as the woolen cloth and warm furs that kept him from freezing to death. He had run because his sharp ears had heard the other men coming, and he hadn't wanted us to be caught. I would have been killed before his bad luck rubbed off on me, and he would have been beaten to within an inch of his life for daring to interact with another human. He said the only reason he'd never been killed himself was that the Gypsies weren't allowed to shed the blood of one of their own, even if he was cursed.
  "The fact that Jonghyun was a man and cursed didn't bother me in the slightest. The more he talked the harder I fell. Here was someone who was strong enough to survive, cut off from most human contact. I told him all about my own life, as a simple Jack of all trades and he didn't seem to mind at all.
  "Eventually it grew late enough that I had to leave. I still needed to find the cow, but we promised to meet in that same little valley the following day before we parted. I found the errant beast a short distance away and went home with a song in my heart.
  "I went back to the valley the next day as promised, but Jonghyun never showed. I continued for many days after that, but still, nothing, not even a note or a token to show he'd been there. Eventually, I decided to find the Gypsy camp, afraid that he'd taken ill or worse, but when I stumbled across it, all I found was carnage. Wagons and tents had been torn apart as though by a mad pack of wild beasts, and every member was dead, save for Jonghyun himself of which there was no sign, except an uprooted garden and a few goat tracks.
  "I was heartbroken. My love had disappeared without a trace, and I could only assumed he abandoned his home, and me, if he hadn't somehow caused all those deaths. I could do nothing but go back to my village to inform everyone so they could give the Gypsies a proper burial, pack my few belongings, and set out for a different life, in hopes that eventually I'd forget. Eventually, I arrived at the coast, learned to become a sailor, and was able to save up enough money to buy my own small ship with the help of my friend here who had a similar story. I named it the Ghost of a Rose, and became the youngest member of the lonely hearts club fleet."
  "To Jonghyun, breaker of hearts!" Key bellowed, raising his glass one of the propriaters of the inn brought him just as Taemin was finishing his story. "May he rot in hell where he belongs!" The fox-eyed blonde fixed his eyes on Imp, who was looking thoughtful even as shrouded as he was. "I knew that rat bastard before he and his camp moved, and he's the reason for my ship's name. He hadn't been cursed then, and he toyed with my affections before he ran off like a cowardly dog. If I ever see him again, he'll get a cannon up his backside!"
  "To Jonghyun, may he rest in pieces!" Onew said, shifting Minho so he could reach his own drink. "I knew him too, after Joon broke my heart. A kiss, a promise, and he was gone like a puff of wind. I was a broken man until I met my beloved Minho and became whole."
  "To Jonghyun" Taemin said, softly and sadly. "I'm a fool, but I love him as much as ever. I just want to know, why?"