Early the next morning, Soojung searched for Jongin again, hoping that she would get the chance to find out more about this tall, dark stranger. He was obviously not of noble blood, and that, in itself, intrigued her. He also seemed to have a certain air about him that was different and refreshing. If nothing else, she could have a little bit of fun with him before the journey ended. It would be better than spending even one more moment with Myungsoo, who obviously wanted nothing to do with her, and was rude, on top of that. Yes. I lower class companion would be better than Kim Myungsoo...and especially L. L seemed to be even worse, and Soojung didn't want to get tangled up with either of his monikers, despite her curiosity surrounding his whereabouts the night before.

Walking up to the top deck, she glanced down the hall, cursing under her breath at all of the people milling around. If her new friend was up here, he would take forever to find. Besides that, somehow she doubted he would be around this many people. Retracing her steps, she turned to leave, bumping into another passenger in the process. The short, fat man smiled at her, his eyes traveling down her athletic, lean frame, and causing her to fight the urge to punch him in the throat.

"Well, what's a pretty little thing like you doing up here alone?" The man inquired, his voice sounding just as disgusting as the lustful look on his face. Despite being of strong character, Soojung knew that if this man decided that he wanted to have his way with her, he would win, and she wouldn't have any way to push him off. Running her hand down her side, she felt the dagger she had borrowed from Sehun, along with his clothing. She didn't want to use it on this man, but she would, if he attacked her.

Smiling at the man as she took a step back, she decided that acting like a delicate, proper woman might work in her favor, especially with the political sway she had over him. "I was just about to meet someone, sir. I will be late, and that's never a good thing, especially of someone higher class. Wouldn't you agree, sir?" Making eye contact with him, she could tell he had been caught off guard and wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Soojung! I've been looking for you all over!" The young woman smiled when she heard Jongin's voice, relieved that he had just saved her from this situation, and any embarrassment that might have followed.

Turning away from the other man without another word, she grinned at Jongin. "Hi! I've been wondering when you would show up, darling. Shall we get out of here?"

An amused smile spread across Jongin's full lips as he nodded, glancing harshly at the other man. "Yes, dear. Let's get out of here. We're late meeting our party anyway." Giving the fat man a warning look, Jongin pulled Soojung off to the side and down the hall toward the crowd.

Once they were a good distance from the man, Soojung grinned at him. "Thank you, Jongin. You always seem to show up at the right time."

"Oh, you mean like yesterday, when we met. Yeah, I guess so," he winked at her, earning a sharp jab in the ribs. Laughing, he let go of her arm, finding it better for his own well-being to create a bit more distance from her.

"Yeah, like yesterday," Soojung answered dryly, sighing. "You know, I'll bet we could find some good food up here, and I'm interested in that, and also in getting to know more about you."

The tall young man smiled at her gently, nodding. "Same here," he answered softly, hoping his words weren't about to betray him.

Soojung pushed her long, dark hair out of her face, searching in her plain, black bag for coins. Once she found some, she handed him four silver coins. "This is for saving my back there. Thank you." Pressing the coins into Jongin's hand, she smiled at him.

Jongin tried not to stare at the coins, knowing this was more than he had ever held in his life. "Uh...thank you." Grinning at her, he led the way toward the tables of finger food. "I guess I can buy you breakfast, then."

Soojung nodded, even more intrigued by this man. "Yeah, I guess so," she answered as they meandered over to the food.

*

Myungsoo glanced at them from under his black hood, making his way through the crowd as quietly as possible. He had hoped for a less crowded ship to travel on, but in this case, the crowd would work to his advantage. He wanted to remain as descreet as possible, making it to his destination on peace. However, he wasn't sure how long he could keep up this facade, and the thought of not reaching Winter's Cove worried him. He had to get there, even though he wasn't quite sure how he would get up the sharp cliffs.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he knew he needed more backing than he currently had. He was a man in a world ruled by females, and knew that he would need a female to get into Wint