Ahoy there - Polo and Batty :3

"I never had a gun, smart ass." Desire replied with a smirk as she slid her hand to the knife's handle. "I don't even know how to operate one." Slowly, she began to stand up, rubbing her arm where she'd hit it on the top of the barrel.
"Are you sure they won't recognize us? Are you sur eit'll be too busy?" She asked as she quietly approached the stairs that led to the door. She didn't want to go up if they were just going to get caught again. Who knew what would happen to her this time.
Groaning, she went to press her ear to the door, but she didn't have to. She could clearly hear the shouts of the crew members.
"Did our good woman kill the mutant yet?"
"I dunno, and I ain't goin' in thar to check. Smells like a herd of them African camels shat in there for weeks." (Yes, shat, as in the past form of sh*t xD)
"Well, I ain't goin' to do it either! Hey, just make slave boy o'er thar do it."
Ah, the shy little slave child from some other Arabian country. He couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. Well, if he was going to check on them, they needed to come up with a plan fast.
"They're coming to see if I've killed you yet." Desire said, walking over to Lex.

"Funny," Lex mused, "I could have sworn I gave you one earlier..." He frowned, but before he could begin searching for the gun, he realized that Desire was quite happy with her knife - and just shrugged it off.
"I don't know how to operate a gun either," He lied conversationally, a pleasant smile on his face, "But I figure if I really need to use it, I'll make a plan."
He watched as Desire crept over the the door to listen, and waited patiently for her to relay what she'd heard.
"They're coming to see if I've killed you yet."
She said at last, turning around and walking towards him.
"Well, have you?" He responded, flashing a crooked grin.
Then, sobering his expression, Lex smiled, and added in a more serious tone, "Don't worry, I know what to do." He nodded toward the door, "It opens inwards. One of us can distract the bloke while the other hides behind the door and boinks him on the head." Lex grinned, "Then we can slip out without so much as opening a door. He flashed a cheerful wink, and tipped his stupid straw hat in a mock salute to Desire.
Clearly, Lex was a cheerful guy... Which was strange, really, given his situation... It just wasn't in his nature to worry, so he didn't bother. He just assumed that things would work out. They usually did, after all.

"Well, have you?"
Lex was a funny guy, Desire had to give him that. It wasn't really a good thing all the time, though. He did know how to be serious, however...
He started explaining his plan. The girl listened intently, biting her lip as she did. Would it work? Would they be able to get by? Time was running out; her chance at freedom was within her grasp. Of course she was already free but now she would be-
What would she be? What would she do? She still wouldn't be able to get a respectable job/ She couldn't expect Lex to take care of her, could she? No, he seemed like he was a man that liked to go solo. A woman would never weigh him down. But she'd already proved that she wasn't like most women. She wasn;t quiet or silly or vain like most. She was inteliigent and daring, and he really seemed to like her...
"How do you suppose we distract him?" Desire said arching an eyebrow. "I suggest we get some blood on this knife - yours, because I don't really want to be cut - and I tell him I killed you. When he comes in, you pop out and hit him." A sly grin crept over her face. "Or I could seduce him."

Lex folded his arms and leaned his weight back on his heels as he listened to Desire's suggestions, a thoughtful expression on his face. At her final suggestion, his lips tweaked a smile.
"Or I could dance the hokey pokey." He added seriously, "I really don't care what you do, as long as you don't go cutting me. Red's a bad colour on me." He flashed a wink, and shifted into his position behind the door when he heard approaching footsteps.
"I won't even need a minute." He assured her, "I literally just need him to walk in and look at you, and I'll knock him out. Then we can make a break for it..." Pausing a moment to think he added, "We may have to swim a little, but you're okay with that, right?"

((You don't know how much I love this RP. I need yo meet you online... When will you have lots of time? I'm seriously DYING to speed it up a little. XD ))

[[xD Unfortunately, two little things called swimming and school plague my day. I get home at like... 6:30 my time, and you're usually asleep by then I should have time this Saturday though. Not much going on except an English project xD I'm actually in school right now...]]

It was a good thing Lex was already standing by the door, slight out of sight, because the slave boy walked in just as Desire was about to answer him. She flashed the boy a small smile and shrunk backwards, pretending to be scared. People were usually less careful around a fearful girl than a brave one.
"Have we stopped?" She asked timidly, watching as the boy's brown eyes scanned the room. He was African, probably from Morocco. He was a native. But somehow she still felt connected to him. They were the same race, after all. Maybe she should just team up with him and get rid of Lex. Somehow his being white didn't help her to trust him.
The boy caught her gaze the moment it flickered to the man standing in the shadows. His eyes widened and he immediately turned around, backing away hastily. Lex needed to knock him out now, or else he'd alert everyone. But why hadn't he begun screaming yet?

((So unfair. We must try find time on Saturday then... ))

When Lex saw the slave boy's eyes flicker toward him, he reacted instantly.
Springing out from behind the door, Lex brought a loose panel of wood smacking firmly into the back of the boy's head.
"Nothing personal, mate." He mumbled apologetically as the boy crumpled to the floor, "I've just got to save my own life first."
He stared down at the poor boy a while longer, eyebrows drawn together in a remorseful frown, then shrugged it off and looked up at Desire.
"Let's get going." He said quietly, "I know where the lifeboats are, but I think we'll be safer diving overboard and swimming to shore. We don't want to risk getting caught again..."
He peeked through the door, glanced left and right, then shrunk back into the hold, casting Desire a glance.
"The coast is clear if we're quiet. They're all drunk and gambling, and it's dark. They won't see us sneaking past."

Desire watched as Lex quickly rendered the slave boy unconscious. She felt a brief pang of sympathy for him, but quickly got over it. They couldn’t risk him telling everyone. Hopefully when he woke up, he wouldn’t remember anything. And if he did, they’d hopefully be long gone by that point…
"Let's get going. I know where the lifeboats are, but I think we'll be safer diving overboard and swimming to shore. We don't want to risk getting caught again..."
She nodded and started walking to the door. “Ladies first.” She muttered sarcastically, pushing past him gently with a grin. Her eyes darkened as she scanned the narrow hallway that led to the deck. There was nobody there, but she could hear rowdy guffaws and shouting coming from the end. Taking a deep breath to still her shaking hands, she began to slowly creep down the corridor.
A sliver of light at the end revealed the actual deck. She could see the men gathered around a table. They seemed to be playing some sort of card game. It looked like there was betting, and there was definitely drinking and smoking involved. There was a port some distance away in front of the ship.
Desire looked back at Lex for confirmation about going forward.

Lex let Desire push past him, and chuckled appreciatively. She was a quirky one, but he liked that about her. She had character, and that made her interesting to him. Most people he found to be dull and boring, too obsessed with life to really be living it...
He smiled absentmindedly after Desire, then shook his head in silent amusement, and began creeping silently after her.
When they reached the end of the corridor, she glanced back at him, and Lex nodded reassuringly, casting a brief glance toward the raucous group gathered around the table. They seemed to be fighting about something, and with flaring tempers, there certainly didn't seem to be any attention to spare for stray prisoners.
"It's now or never." He whispered, nodding toward the deck.
"On three, we run."
He held up one finger, watching the group carefully.
Punches were thrown, voices raised...
Lex raised another finger.
One man tackled another, and the table fell over with an ear-splitting crash, sending cards flying everywhere, and causing irreparable drama to break out in the group.
Lex didn't even bother to raise the third finger - he just gave Desire a slap on the shoulder and dashed for the deck, grabbing her arm to drag her along with him as he raced past.
He darted straight to the railings, and dived over into the sea without missing a beat.

It was a long way down, and the sudden cold splash of the water knocked the breath out of him; but after a moment, Lex resurfaced, and began swimming quickly toward shore.
He didn't think anybody had seen them - but he wasn't about to stop and find out!
The ship was anchored in a makeshift little harbour, and as he lifted his head above water, Lex saw that he was headed toward a port of sorts.
Without wasting another second on thought, he ducked his head down, and swam on faster - hoping that Desire was keeping up.

[[I lied. I actually have a swim meet on Saturday that I didn't even know about -_- ugh. BUT WE GOT OUT OF PRACTICE EARLY TODAY AND GOT DONUTS.]]

The rowdy shouts of the men were enough to make her steadily ease forward. She definitely didn't want to be caught by them in this state; who knew what they would do under the influence.
Just then, Lex said that they were going to run on three. Desire nodded with silent determination. She was good at running, but all she ever did was long distance. Like running from town to town, fleeing from her past. Yeah, she was good at running. She was still here, wasn't she?
A loud crash interrupted her thoughts, and a hand slapping her shoulder pushed her into action. A glance over her shoulder told her that a table had fallen and broke, a man was tackling another, and people were backing away, watching the scene with mixed expressions of fear to amusement.
Lex was already a good distance in front of her, so Desire focused her attention on the man. She wasn't quite able to catch up, but dove right into the icy black water after him.

Desire could swim, she really could, but she'd only tried when she was younger in the warm, shallow waters of a creek. This freezing ocean was an entirely different matter. The water froze her; she couldn't move. The air in her body was enough to cause her to gently float up, but she wouldn't be able to stay afloat once she surfaced.
Frantically, she tried to struggle up. The peaceful top of the water was broken as her frantically waving arms splashed around. The couple of breaths she managed to gasp in were filled with a few mouthfuls of water.
"Lex." She moaned when she finally could. "Help-"

((Oh my word!!! Coolest thing ever! I love doughuts - they're my drugs. XD ))

After he'd been swinning a while without even a glimpse of Desire beside or behind him, Lex began slowing, glancing anxiously back over his shoulder.
Then, from somewhere behind him, a muffled cry reached him on the wind.
"Lex, help-"
He squirmed around in an instant, fighting his own momentum, and a wave smacked him cruelly in the face.
Spluttering, Lex swiped an arm over his face, then craned his neck, staring out to sea.
There!
The seao had turned to a panicked white froth just a few meters away, and he saw Desire's frantic form thrashing to stay afloat in the deep water.
Taking a deep breath, Lex dove under water, and began swimming back to Desire, fighting against the tide.
He resurfaced just beside her, taking a frantic gulp of air, and grabbed her arm in a firm, confident grasp.
"Calm down!" He snapped, taking on a firm, authoritative tone, and sounding truly serious for perhaps the first time since they'd met.
He trod water, struggling somewhat to stay afloat with his weight and Desire's as he pulled her arm over his shoulders.
"Hold tight." He ordered, placing her hand on his shoulder, and patting it reassuringly. "Just kick, and sidestroke with your other arm. It's not far, we'll make it."
He was panting between each breath, muscles already straining with fatigue, and lungs burning with the effort - but the sight of land strengthened him, and somehow Lex found the energy to battle through the icy water again, pulling Desire along with him, and letting the tide carry him as he got closer to the port.

"Calm down!" A powerful voice boomed in her ear. Desire immediately stopped struggling; what else could she do? She’d never heard anything so compelling in her entire life. She just had to obey.
When Lex pulled her over his shoulder, she was aware of the fact that the man was struggling with her added weight. She wanted to help, but didn’t really know how. And she wasn’t too keen about getting back into the violent ocean. Nah, she’d rather stay on his back.
"Just kick, and sidestroke with your other arm. It's not far, we'll make it."
Very reassuring, she thought sarcastically. She couldn’t see the land at all. Rain was pounding against her face, splashing the water and sending foam into her eyes. The salt burned her throat when she swallowed it. It took everything she had not to throw up.
She managed to kick, though. She struggled, but was able to carry some of her own weight. Hopefully she was actually helping Lex and not just making it harder for him.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let him carry her to safety.

**

The moment her feet touched the sand, Desire threw herself away from the blonde man and ran up the shore. She couldn’t really see much, so it was no surprise when she tripped over a root on the ground. She lay there for a moment, soaking up the smells and sounds of the earth. She’d never been so glad to be on land before.
After a while, the girl rolled over onto her back. It was still raining, but it was gentler. The water dripped down through the leaves of the trees around her. It was pretty.
Gingerly, she sat up. Her head hurt, and her throat felt raw. And she was thirsty. The man that had brought her here was nowhere in sight.
“Lex?” She called after a while. Where was he?

It was a horribly tiring swim back to the shore, but at last, Lex dragged himself out of the water, and staggered exhausted onto the beach. He was only vaguely aware of Desire bolting away from him, and thus made no move to stop her. He couldn't gasp the air into his lungs fast enough; it burned on both entrance and exit - but he felt his vision blurring at the edges from lack of precious oxygen.
He stumbled tiredly a little further at the beach, but then his knees buckled, and he gave up - letting himself drop to the ground. He closed his eyes, and lay back on the warm sand, feeling a few delicate rays of sun warming his cold skin.
The sea's salty waters had washed him clean of the many weeks' worth of grime accumulated down in that hold, and his hair had recaptured it's unusual silver-white sheen.
He ran a hand through it absentmindedly, lifting the snowy locks into damp spikes away from his face.

Once he had caught his breath, Lex struggled to his feet and with a weary sigh, traipsed off in search of Desire.
It didn't take him long to find her. She, too, has collapsed - just inside the forest - and Lex found her sitting with her back against a tree.
“Lex?” She called, evidently taking note ob his absence at last.
"Right here." He grunted in response, walking up behind her, then sitting casually by her side.
"You okay?" He asked, casting her a concerned glance, "That was quite a swim. I don't remember the last time I was so bloody tired..." He laughed under his breath, and ran his fingers through his hair, finally starting to let go of the stress of having to fight the sea for his life.

Desire whipped her head toward the sound of the man’s voice. At first she didn’t recognize him; all of the dirt and grime were gone and he looked… clean. His hair was bright white, shining brilliantly in the sun that was beginning to poke through the clouds. She bit her lip. Lex was so different; she’d never seen anyone like him. He was so pale – even for a white person. And he actually treated her decently.
“I’m fine.” She said quietly. She wasn’t fine at all, but she may as well say she was. There wasn’t much he could do for her anyway.
The place they’d landed looked pretty deserted considering it was right next to a port. There were buildings in the distance, but they were too far away to see any people. She began shivering. It was cold out, and the rain was still pouring softly. The sun was poking through the clouds, though.
“Thanks, Lex.” She said after a while of silence. She scooted a little closer to him and plopped a kiss on his cheek with a grin. She was a very touchy-feely person.

[[Sorry it sucks xD]]

((Naaaw, that was cute.

And hey, at least you didn't go all Polo-logic. 'Yeah, it's raining, but the sand is warm. There must be an underground volcano or something...' *Shakes head* I should pay closer attention to details... Like weather. ))

Although Desire claimed she was fine, Lex could tell that she was still pretty shaken. Still, no harm was done, and they were free - that was the main thing.
He sighed heavily, and leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes for a moment. They sat in peaceful silence, until at last, Desire murmured, “Thanks, Lex.”
"Mhm." He grunted in response, not bothering at first to open his eyes. When he felt Desire's lips brush against his cheek, however, the surprise was enough to make him blink.
He glanced toward her, smiling slightly, and although his mind conveniently chose that moment to remind him that the woman beside him was a harlot; he still didn't particularly mind.
He mirrored her grin with a smirk, and flashed a friendly wink in response, seeming faintly pleased.
He was quite fond of Desire, after all. She was one of the few people he didn't just pretend to like.
"Wanna check out the town?" He asked at last, casting a glance over his shoulder to where the distant forms of buildings could be seen, accompanied by the lively sounds of music, and traders' rhyming voices.
"It's probably a good idea to blend in, just in case somebody's on our trail."
He heaved himself wearily to his feet, and offered her a hand, smiling pleasantly.
"Pretty good to be free, huh?"

[[I can't reply, but hey, that is good logic ;D And you have no idea HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME TO PLAY A WEAK GIRL OMG SHAE HAS DONE THINGS TO ME NO ONE CAN UNDO UGH.]]

((Haha! I hear ya. I can't play any sort of girl character. ))

Lex seemed to be pretty fine with the kiss, Desire noticed. He didn’t attempt to pull any moves on her either, even though it was a clear indication that she was open. Or so she acted like. Because honestly, she still wasn’t sure what this man’s deal was. Obviously he was a good guy, but why did he stick with her? If they had switched roles, she would have taken off as soon as possible. But maybe that time hadn’t come yet.
She bit her lip and looked away.
"Wanna check out the town?" Not really, but she would anyway. Just to make him happy.
Lex got up and offered Desire a hand, which she accepted with a smile.
"It's probably a good idea to blend in, just in case somebody's on our trail." He had said. Yeah, but how would they blend in? The crew would start looking for them once they realized their captives were missing. And Lex was pretty noticeable with his white hair. And how would they explain and white man and a black girl walking together?
She was about to voice her concerns when the man spoke again.
"Pretty good to be free, huh?"
Desire snorted and looked away. It was like he could read her mind. Wasn’t she just thinking about this?
“What am I free from, Lex? Those guys? They would have let me go eventually. I’m in the same situation as I was before, just in a different location.” She shook her head. “I’m not free at all.”

[[And I'm online like ALL DAY TODAY WOO!]]

((YAY! No sleep for Polo! XD ))

Desire accepted his hand, and he helped her to her feet, then turned around, preparing to walk toward the town. Before he took a step, however, Desire's voice stopped him.
“What am I free from, Lex?"
What...? He turned back to look at her, frowning slightly.
"Those guys? They would have let me go eventually. I’m in the same situation as I was before, just in a different location. I’m not free at all.”
He raised his eyebrows, and stared at her for a moment, arms folded. She really had been through a lot, hadn't she?
"Depends how you look at it." He replied casually, shrugging his shoulders. "The way I see it, you've got an opportunity to make a new life for yourself. No chains binding you, no reputation holding you back... I reckon that's pretty free." He smiled encouragingly, "But, maybe that's just me. Either way, let's make the most of it, okay?"
He flashed a cheerful, contagious grin, then grabbed Desire's hand and tugged her along with him as he started walking toward the town.
Once she'd fallen into step beside him, he released her hand, and walked along with his hands resting on the back of his head, admiring the scenery with an easygoing smile.

Desire reluctantly let the man pull her hand towards the town. She supposed he was right about not having a reputation to hold her back - unless of course they'd travelled in a giant circle and this was the town they'd originally started in. In that case, she honestly didn't know what would happen. Would they turn around and leave? Would they stay and hide, praying that those men didn't try to come for them. She figured they wouldn't care about her. After all, she was just a prostitute. But Lex? If they wanted their vengence, they would get it, no matter how much force was required. They'd probably kill him, too.
Desire stole a quick glance at the strange haired man as she bit her lip nervously. He was strolling easily down the sandy path with his hands behind his head and the usual loopy smile on his face. What a strange way to walk.
She sighed and looked down at the ground, obviously questioning this man's sanity. But maybe, just maybe, he was right. Maybe she should be enjoying this now. This was an adventure, like the ones her mother always told her, and for once she had the chance to be the heroine.
There once was a princess who ran away from home, her mind whispered to her. She ran away from home, met a trusty steed, and never came back. She made a fortune in a far-away land and married and prince. She lived happily ever after.
Chuckling, Desire shook her head. She didn't believe in fairy tales.

Desire and Lex had been walking in what he considered to be companionable silence for a while, when he heard a quiet chuckle beside him. He cast Desire a curious glance, but decided not to ask what was on her mind. She seemed to be in a somewhat delicate state and he did have some tact - so he figured it best to leave her be.
They walked in silence for a few more minutes, then stepped out of what Lex could only think of as a tropical jungle, and into the small seaside town.
An old, weathered sign on the outskirts declared the town as 'Port Naughtwood' - and Lex spared it a brief glance as he crossed under it and onto the well-trodden dirt path that led to the town's 'main road'. It was a small place - more a trading village than a town, really - and the little cottages and stores lining the road had clearly seen better days. But though they were in need of paint and repairs, they were clearly well loved.
As the strange pair walked down the main street, they were flanked by brightly coloured booths, their owners shouting advertisements to any potential customer who walked by.
"It sure is lively here, huh?" Lex commented cheerfully as they were swept up in the hustle and bustle of it all, "Do you want to buy anything?" He flashed an encouraging smile, and pressed a small drawstring canvas bag of gold coins into Desire's hand. He placed a finger to his lips and winked secretively, then slipped away to the nearest store where an overweight balding man was selling fish and chips. He bought some for himself, then returned to Desire's ide, munching hungrily.
"Wfan' Sf'ome?" He mumbled through a mouthful of fish, offering the box to Desire.

Desire's eyes widened as she saw the sack of gold. Is that what had gotten Lex into trouble? Did he steal it from them? If he did, well, he must have been pretty resourceful. But not resourceful enough to get away with it.
She rolled her eyes, but Lex was gone in a second. She thought she had hear him say something about buying something. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. It didn't really matter. But she waited for him.
Soon the white haired man came back with a box of something she didn't know. She'd never had it in Egypt, and she didn't have the best diet here. But she saw people eating this stuff a lot.
Just then, he said something that vaguely sounded like, "Want some?" but his mouth was too full for her to know for certain. She stifled a giggle. She was pretty hungry, so she didn't refuse the offer. She pulled out a chip and took a tentative bite. Her face lit up with a smile.
"This is absolutely disgusting!" She laughed as some grease rolled down her chin. "I love it!" And with that, she grabbed the box from his hands teasingly and continued walking down the streets.
Houses of all shapes and sizes lined the wharf. People hurried to and fro places. The air smelled of salt, and the people smelled of fish. She saw a woman selling handmade jewelry on a stand, and a man selling squid. She wrinkled her nose at that, but didn't say anything. Lex had offered to buy something for her, so she kept her eyes open. Nothing really interested her though.

[[Okay, that sucked. But since you're so eager to do this, you shouldn't mind xD]]

((Don't insult me! I have my pride! Lucky for you, I don't think it sucked, otherwise I would SO not have replied. Pft. Really... Thinking you can get away with not putting in effort... I'm not a RP whore, you know! I don't give it away for free! XD *Dramatic speech* ))

Lex laughed at Desire's description of the chips, smirking to himself. "Yeah," He answered, chuckling, "That pretty much sums it up."
Then she stole the box from him, and Lex darted after her with an indignant "Oi!", snatching it back when he reached her.
"Mine!" He teased, sticking out his tongue, then shoving another chip into his mouth and chewing happily.
As they walked, Desire took in the sights and sounds, and Lex took in whatever was in the pockets of any unfortunate sod who happened to walk by him. It didn't take him long to build up a decent supply of gold in his pockets.
Though it wasn't for the money he did it, of course. It was for the rush - nothing excited Lex more than the feeling of lying and stealing, and the wonderful fear of getting caught. It gave him a rush he couldn't quite explain, which was probably why he did it.
"So what do you think?" Lex asked, turning his attention back to Desire at last, "You happy to be out of the office?" He flashed a teasing grin, and elbowed her playfully in the ribs.

A couple of times, Desire had glanced over at the white haired man just in time to see him slipping a couple of coins from the pockets of unsuspecting passers-by. He was a talented pick-pocket, she had to give him that. Barely a tug on the material of their clothing. They didn't even realize what was happening. She chuckled uneasily to herself and thought it was a good thing that she didn't have a penny to her name. Lex would take it.
She continued pressing forward through the throng of people, eager to find a lodging facility. By the time they got there, her companion should have gotten enough money to get a fairly decent pair of rooms. She didn't expect that they would be sleeping on the streets.
"So what do you think? You happy to be out of the office?"
Desire snorted. "God yes. Do you know how much that job sucks? No, you don't. In fact, chaps like you are probably regular visitors." She rolled her eyes and continued sarcastically to herself, muttering under her breath, "Good thing you didn't ever come to me."
But all kidding aside, she was serious. Being a prostitute was honestly a horrible profession. She got sick a lot, didn't make too much money, and was regularly abused. Most men that came to her weren't very polite or gentle. She usually had bruises covering her sun darkened skin. Aching muscles seemed normal.
She was glad that she had been busted out of that town, and no matter how much she hated relying on someone else, she was glad Lex had found or. Or that she had found him. However the hell that worked.

"God yes." Desire snorted in response, "Do you know how much that job sucks? No, you don't. In fact, chaps like you are probably regular visitors. Good thing you didn't ever come to me."
Lex smirked to himself, snickering at some sort of private joke. "Yeah," He replied in amusement, "I'm sure it does... Suck quite a bit."
He cackled deviously to himself, totally unashamed by his dirty humour, then flashed Desire a good-natured wink as he added, more politely, "Well anyway, on behalf of 'chaps like me', I'm sorry that we're such shitty customers."
He ruffled her hair in a friendly fashion, and smiled as he pointed out, "You do know I'm not really that type, right? Nothing against you; I just find the idea of banging a chick you've got no feelings for to be a little..." He frowned, searching for the right word, then shrugged and finished unconcernedly, "A little icky."

With that, Lex led Desire on out of the market area, and into the main street of the small seaside town. "Where do you want to stay?" He asked, casting a glance to the numerous lodges, inns and B&B's lining the street, all advertised by pretty, colourful signs hanging outside their doors.

[[SERIOUSLY I HAD THIS ENTIRE POST ALL TYPED UP AND YOU DECIDE TO REASTART?! I HATE YOU, COMPUTER.]]

Desire rolled her eyes at Lex's crude joke but cracked a smile. This guy was funny, she had to give him that. Humor was necessary in these days, especially in her position. Without making some kind of joke, life would be completely miserable.
"Well anyway, on behalf of 'chaps like me', I'm sorry that we're such shitty customers."
"Thanks. I appreciate that." She snorted. She wasn't exactly telling the truth before; the men that came to her weren't usually like Lex. Lex was young and wild. He had his entire life ahead of him, and he knew that. He wasn't in any rush to get through life and he wanted to have fun. Paying a prostitute for sex wasn't very fun. The chase was the good part. No, most men that came to her were the lonely type that didn't have anyone to care for them. Or the sailors. They were always on land for such a short amount of time that they never had enough time to get girls on their own, so they always resorted to the ones that sold themselves.
Desire sighed and kept walking, not expecting anything else to come from the conversation.
"You do know I'm not really that type, right? Nothing against you; I just find the idea of banging a chick you've got no feelings for to be a little... A little icky."
That made her laugh, and the dark skinned woman stopped and turned to face him. "You're just like a little kid. You think that everything is so romantic and sweet. When you get older, you'll realize that sex is sex - no matter who it's with." It was funny because Lex was probably older than she was. But she was so much more mature and so much wiser than he was.
But Lex kept walking. The woman sighed and muttered under her breath, "At least I don't have to worry about you wanting that now."
The people gradually began to thin out, and the pair came across a long line of inns, bed and breakfasts, and lodges. She kept her eyes open for one that appealed to her after Lex asked her what she thought. She kept quiet until a small brown cottage on the left caught her eye. It seemed to be built out of a clay material, the kind like her house in Egypt was made from. That was weird - the material was nowhere to be found around here.
Desire tugged on Lex's arm and began moving towards the little building. When she reached it, she saw that it wasn't the same material as the Egyptian homes; rather, it was painted the same color. Disappointed, she was about to turn back when she saw a dark skinned woman sitting inside at a desk watching her.
Good. Someone that looked like Desire.
Without waiting for Lex, she flung open the door and bustled inside, eager to talk to this person. In a sea of whites, Egyptians had to stick together.