hypercrit

His gaze of captivation at a trader selling some scaled sea life, previously unknown to him, had been most rudely interrupted. He peered through eyes drawing shut with the gravity that lengthy sea travel creates at a man of proud stature and proud attire and a smile too full of pleasantries to exist naturally. Not wanting to seem too enamoured by the affluencey being brutally displayed, but also deeply coveting the silky material that clothed the man and that gold that fell from his wrists, William grunted back with a tired voice, “A wealthy elevation through adventure, as all men truly desire in the recesses of their hearts.” Always with the poetry, William thought, faux-critically of himself. The man seemed to understand, his smile thinning into a natural state as he replied, “Of course, a man after my own heart. I’d like to give you a tour of the city and discuss a certain adventure that may interest a man of your character.” The afternoon sun was now boldly stating its presence in the sky, its deep orange rays penetrating the canopy of the clearing that the two men of juxtaposed attire had temporarily claimed as their own. The discussion had been ongoing for some time, and the general details were now clear. The man was a noble of honest but resilient character, a type of man that William so desperately wanted to be, and this man, Severio, had been stolen from by a group of thieves that he suspected were in the employ of another noble family. “The job will be difficult, they will expect somebody, and that is why I waited at those docks for my instincts to pick someone such as you from a crowded ship, an entity unknown to my enemies. I see a lot of myself in you, Will, and should your work be successful, you may find yourself regularly under my employ. Will was all too ready to except, and now found it harder to hide his admiration that had been growing for the man under the rays of the afternoon sun. He took money from Severio for supplies, but he trusted the steel of his blade, forged in the suffering of the slums and of an isolation from a presumed birthright, would be all he needed as he set off for the camp of bandits.