“I’m so mad…”

  Nyra kept running her hands together, anxiously staring out the front of Flint’s ship, desperate to catch a glimpse of Descrelate.

  It was early enough in the morning that her crew and Flint’s crew were almost entirely asleep, save for the helmsman, and what Nyra realised was Flint coming up the stairs behind her to join her.

  “Come off it, Nyra. The moment we find those thieves that stole your ship…” Flint insisted, before wrapping his arm around her neck and forming a fist with the other. “They’re as good as dead.”

  Nyra sneered and nodded her head. “It’s a point of pride. The humiliation…”

  Flint grinned. “Ah yes, the ‘princess’ girl.”

  “Like, who the fuck does she think she is?!” Nyra’s cried, running her hand through her hair. “That wimpy, pathetic fucking noble just…takes me ship?! With Sadashi?! What, were they working together?! Was her cowering in fear an act?! Did she trick me?!”

  Nyra spun around. “Or is it worse and she just saw an opportunity?! A civilian steals my goddamn ship! My blood’s boiling, Flint!”

  “I can tell!” Flint exclaimed, slapping her back and laughing heartily. “You and me, Nyra! The only real pirates on these seas!”

  Just as he said that, he crouched down, before pointing to an emerging landmass on the horizon. “And true to our profession, x marks the spot.”

  Descrelate was finally coming into view, giving Nyra the slightest bit of relief, desperately scanning for her ship as they closed in.

  The moment they got in close enough, Flint noticed the Royal Precession ship taking up most of the docks, and the island visibly swarming with officers.

  “Now there’s curious.” Flint grinned, leaning in closer. “Looks like our thief friends might’ve been in the area.”

  Nyra lifted up her head, just as the ship pulled into the dock, and the duo caught a glimpse of Phil and Alfie on the royal vessel.

  “Ahoy mateys!” Flint called out, as the admirals now noticed the ship pulling in beside them. “So…what brings the Precession around these parts?!”

  “F-FLINT!!!” Phil cried out, almost falling backward, right as Alfie caught him. “W-Weren’t you just at the capital?”

  “Had to leave early!” Flint called out, right as his crew unfurled the ladder, properly docking the ship. “That bastard Sadashi ducked off before I could kill him! You haven’t seen him, have you?”

  Phil went to give a worried response, only to notice Flint’s crew now taking up the docks, and…

  Nyra coming down with them.

  In a panic, he ran off the ship, sprinting out onto the docks, before pointing frantically at Nyra.

  “Nyra?! Wait, where’s Sadashi?!” Phil exclaimed, only for Nyra to come over, grab his collar and lift him up.

  “That’s what I wanna know, numbnuts! Where the fuck’s my boat?!” Nyra yelled, as Phil shakily pointed past his own ship.

  Nyra poked her head to the side and caught the edge of it, dropping Phil, before running over to it, followed quickly by her crew.

  Alfie hurried over to help Phil back up, glaring at Nyra as she ran past.

  Right as Nyra was about to board, she came face to face with the officers guarding her ship, all pointing halberds in her direction.

  Nyra sighed.

  “…it’s been a long few days.” She insisted, cracking her neck. “You really wanna be my biggest problem right now?”

  “W-WAIT!”

  Phil cried out to them, waving his hands wildly.

  “L-Let her through! Please, let her through!” Phil insisted, waving his guys down, as they reluctantly lowered their halberds and stepped aside.

  Nyra mockingly sneered at them as she passed, as Phil let out a sigh of relief.

  “…I’m starting to think Nyra didn’t help break Sadashi out.” Phil deduced, leaning into Alfie and whispering. “Were we mistaken? Was it just someone that looked like her?”

  Alfie peered over, analysing Nyra’s bright red coat, cross-shaped eyepatch, and almost entirely half-scarred body.

  “…probably not.” Alfie noted, as Phil jumped.

  “Wait!”

  Phil grabbed Alfie’s collar.

  “Does that mean we gave Piper bad information?!”

  Phil threw his head back dramatically. “Oh, he’s going to be so mad at us!”

  Alfie struggled to a recall a time when Piper wasn’t mad at them, only to turn around and find Flint directly in his and Phil’s faces.

  “SO…”

  Flint lifted himself back up, towering over both of them.

  “Sadashi’s not here?”

  “Uhh…” Phil let out, thinking about whether to lie to Flint’s face, before quickly averting his gaze. “…well, Alfie saw him on the beach last night.”

  Alfie and Flint shared a brief glance, before Phil clicked his tongue.

  “…but there’s a good chance he’s not on the island anyone.” Phil pointed out. “We were also under the impression Nyra was the one who broke him out.”

  Flint blinked in surprise, before laughing heartily.

  “That’s rich!” Flint cackled. “It’s the opposite! She wants that girl dead!”

  “Girl?” Phil asked, only for yelling and swearing to echo out from the other side of the docks.

  The trio turned their heads, only for Nyra to charge back down the dock, stomping loudly and shoving people out of the way.

  “THEY DITCHED IT!” Nyra cried, grabbing a length of rope off the ground and kicking it for no good reason. “They just left my ship here UNATTENDED! AND they took my map! The absolute disrespect!”

  “Nyra!”

  “WHAT?!?!?!” She yelled, visibly seething, as one of her crewmates sheepishly interrupted.

  “…we couldn’t find…you know…”

  Nyra took a second to figure it out, before her pupils shrank.

  “…wha…” Nyra managed, before crying out and kicking barrels off the dock, now drawing the attention of the pirates deliberately avoiding the docks. “AND NOW THEY STOLE MY FUCKING TREASURE!!!”

  “You had treasure here?” Flint asked, as Nyra ran up to him and grabbed the front of his coat.

  “Of course I did! No one checks this place!” Nyra insisted, grinding her teeth. “It was a personal storage in case I needed it! And they had the gall to run off with it!”

  Nyra’s anger started slowing itself down, only to build back up as manic giddiness.

  “…they’re trying to mock me.” Nyra insisted, laughing a little. “That fucking princess and her knight in shining armour wanna watch me squirm. Well, it’s personal now.”

  She pulled out her rusty cutlass and cried out to the sky.

  “You take from me, I take your life! That’s how it works!”

  Nyra started laughing to herself, disturbing pretty much everyone around her, her own crew included, as Phil leaned back into Alfie.

  “That’s the second mention of the other thief…‘girl’ and ‘princess.’” Phil noted, as Alfie nodded along. “Is she a part of Atticus’ crew?”

  “FLINT!” Nyra cried, pointing her sword at him. “You still going after Sadashi?!”

  Flint grinned, joining in her manic display. “Till his head’s on my mantle!”

  “Then we keep our pursuit too!” Nyra demanded. “We’ve got our ship, now we need revenge!”

  Flint found himself overjoyed, as he clapped his hands and grabbed everyone’s attention.

  “LISTEN UP CREW!” Flint yelled out. “We grab supplies, get a quick drink, and we head out! Our journey’s not over yet!”

  The crew gave a rowdy cheer in response, finishing their tasks a bit faster, as Phil shared a brief glance with Alfie, before stepping forward to Flint.

  “E-Excuse me.” Phil said, as Flint looked down at him. “If…you’re also pursuing Sadashi, might we tag along?”

  “You?” Flint asked, leaning down, as Phil worriedly stepped back.

  “Y-Y-Yes, well, he’s an enemy of our majesty. And he was set for execution.” Phil noted. “If you’re…dead set on killing him, we just want to confirm his death…for our majesty’s sake.”

  Flint lifted himself up and scratched his beard, thinking over the proposal, before swinging his hand down and slapping Phil’s back.

  “As long as you don’t get in the way!”

  “…not planning on it.”

  Flint smirked. “Great! Happy to have the Precession working for us!”

  “Uh, actua-“ Phil started, only for Flint to step out of earshot before Phil could correct him. “…of course.”

  “Phil.” Alfie started, pointing back at the pirates. “Flint?”

  Phil glanced around them and pulled Alfie in.

  “…we’ll be better off not competing with them.” Phil whispered. “Syrille’s still going to want an execution, so we just have to capture Sadashi before they can get to him, and with their aid, that should be a little easier. We’ll get in close enough, then give them the slip.”

  Phil locked his hand with Alfie’s, and used his hook hand to casually stroke his hair.

  “And even if we can’t capture him, Syrille would certainly prefer Sadashi die by our hand.” Phil pointed out. “Plus, I’m very curious as to this ‘princess’ character that’s gotten involved.”

  Alfie sighed out in worry, as Phil leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll do the talking with them. I know you hate their types.” Phil insisted, before taking his hand. “Now come on, we better get ready to head out.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

  Averole.

  At first glance, it wasn’t an island. If anything, it looked to be a massive glass-encased building floating atop the water. But as Aloette got closer, she started to realise that it was that the building encompassed the whole island, only broken up by what looked to be a large orchard out the back.

  Royal Precession and trading ships came in and out, enlivening the place with business, and providing patrons for the restaurant inside. Light bled through the building’s exterior, giving life to the splashes of greenery through the structure.

  “…oh…” Aloette let out, before balling up her fists and squealing. “…I’m in heaven!”

  She leaped over to the railing, right as the island started coming into their ship’s view. “What a magnificent achievement of ingenuity! A shining beacon upon these seas!” Aloette cried, looking back at the other two, before noticing their serious faces. “Come on, guys! Let’s be excited!”

  Bridget raised an eyebrow, before glancing back at a forlorn Sadashi.

  “I’m with mopey here.” Bridget remarked, as Sadashi quietly sighed in annoyance. “Look.”

  Bridget turned Aloette around. “We nearly got done in by an admiral with one ship. Granted, we made it out alive…but I don’t even know how.”

  Bridget indicated back to Averole. “And that place is filled with Royal Precession officers.”

  “…well, pirates like to drink as well. Isn’t there some sort of truce here?” Aloette posited. “A promise for peaceful business to not disrupt the atmosphere?”

  “Atmosphere?” Sadashi questioned, before shaking his head. “…well, sort of, but not in the way you think. You’ll see when it hits nightfall.”

  “That doesn’t help now though. They may not clock the boat as pirate, but the moment we step onto the island, it’ll be clear as day.” Bridget clarified, as Aloette curiously stared at the docking area, noticing the ships coming in and out.

  Once she clocked the trading ships however, she got an idea.

  “Bridget!” Aloette exclaimed, spinning around. “Do you have any spare clothes here?”

  Bridget cocked her head. “Uhh…yeah? I’ve got a box of them by the bed.”

  “Excellent!” Aloette exclaimed, going to look for it. “We’ll just dress up like traders!”

  For maybe the first time in either of their lives, Sadashi and Bridget shared a look of understanding, as Bridget leaned her head inside the room.

  “Aloette, we’re not exactly…” Bridget remarked, before pointing mostly as Sadashi. “Fashion experts.”

  “You can stop whenever you want.” Sadashi advised, as Bridget stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Well…”

  Aloette excitedly pulled out some clothing and smiled.

  “That’s why I’ll dress you up!”

  “…alright, now lift your arm.” Aloette asked, as Sadashi obliged. “Perfect!”

  Sadashi was now wearing a mostly intact dress shirt and jacket instead of his vest, and a gold bracelet from Nyra’s stash of treasure.

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  “Uhh…th-thank you…Aloette.” Sadashi let out, feeling a bit sheepish, before holding up the bracelet curiously. “Won’t someone try to steal this?”

  “The bracelet’s a universal sign of a trader. It’s like saying ‘open for business.’” Aloette explained, kicking her legs on the bed. “But because it’s so common, a majority aren’t actually made of gold, they just look like it.”

  “…and if someone tries to steal it, they know not to do business with them.” Sadashi deduced, as Aloette nodded along. “You sure know a lot about this.”

  “I like studying people. And I tended to frequent the market a lot back in Intide.” Aloette explained, looking over at Bridget.

  She was still straightening out her bracelet and fidgeting with her outfit, as Aloette noticed she hadn’t taken off her cloak.

  “Bridget, you’ll have to lose the cloak and daggers.” Aloette mentioned.

  Bridget’s eye twitched, as she grabbed onto its side. “…really?”

  Aloette nodded. “Traders don’t wear cloaks. Since it’s seen as a way to hide away objects, traders who wear cloaks are considered untrustworthy.”

  Aloette raised a finger. “While we might look convincing, we might run into trouble with other traders as a result.”

  “…fine, fine.” Bridget complained, taking it off, before delicately leaving it by her bed. “How’s the rest of it?”

  “Great!” Aloette exclaimed, before taking her pink coat off and folding it. “Apologies, dear coat. As beautiful as you are, you’ll give us away.”

  Bridget started chuckling, as Sadashi elbowed her in the side, while Aloette left the coat beside the cloak.

  It was a few more minutes before they reached the docks proper, as there looked to be someone greeting some of the traders near an off door, just to the side of the main restaurant.

  “And a pleasure to you too.” He started, bringing a warm smile, before greeting the trio now approaching him. “Welcome! Do you need directions to the market stalls?”

  “Richards.” Sadashi said, as the man leaned forward, now recognising the face.

  “…Sadashi?”

  Richards’ eyes widened, before bringing him in for a hug.

  “I’m so happy to see you’re…” He started, before realising he might draw attention and separating. “I heard about the execution. And you managing to get out of it.”

  “You can thank her for that.” Sadashi admitted, indicating to Aloette, who gave a quick salute.

  “…Nyra?” Richards asked, leaning down curiously. “Shouldn’t you have an eyepatch? And your skin’s healed remarkably.”

  “It’s Aloette, actually!” Aloette replied, proudly placing her hands on her hips. “Nyra’s…”

  Aloette thought on it for a second, before grinning. “Nyra’s my rival!”

  “Oh. I see.” Richards let out, as Sadashi gave her the side-eye. “Is she joining your crew, Sadashi?”

  “…I’ll explain.” Sadashi said, as Richards waved his arm to the entrance.

  “Well…greetings you two. I’m the owner of this distillery, and a friend of Sadashi’s.” Richards clarified, before giving a small bow. “Feel free to act ‘piratey’ within reason.”

  “Noted.” Bridget remarked, as Richards started walking them to the quarters.

  Meanwhile, Sadashi crouched down and started whispering to Aloette.

  “Aloette, I know you’re…”

  He stopped himself, before taking her aside. “I know you…want…the pirate lifestyle. But don’t give Nyra more of a reason to come find you.”

  “But we already stole her ship. And her treasure.” Aloette pointed out, as Sadashi sighed out.

  “As someone who’s been out here for a while, it’s best not to broadcast your activity, or set up vendettas against yourself.” Sadashi admitted, before resting a hand on her shoulder. “I screwed over Flint, and he’s still out for my head. I don’t want the same for you.”

  “…I understand.” Aloette let out, assuring Sadashi somewhat, as they went back to following Richards.

  A second later, Aloette spoke up.

  “…but what if she starts calling me her rival?” Aloette asked, as Sadashi sighed in annoyance. “At that point, it would be rude not to acknowle-“

  Sadashi started walking ahead to catch up with Richards, as Aloette called out.

  “Sadashi! Hey!”

  “…if I just ignore it, she won’t mention it again…” Sadashi assured himself, right as he reached Richards.

  He leaned back over his shoulder.

  “So…just visiting?” Richards knowingly asked.

  “…we need some supplies.” Sadashi explained, glancing around them. “We’re rejoining with my crew in The Further, and…”

  “Sadashi, wait, before you go on…I can’t offer you a ship.” Richards clarified, cutting him off. “King Syrille’s still keeping me under watch after the last one you borrowed. I’m lucky to still be the owner.”

  “Can you lend us anything else though? Spare food and drink, just enough for the trip there?” Sadashi insisted, as Richards tilted his head. “…and, ideally…board for tonight.”

  Richards sighed out, scratching his moustache, before nodding. “…just for tonight. And you’ll need to be out by 5am like the others.”

  Richards kept walking. “A couple employees are off gathering supplies in Majipenta right now, so you can borrow their rooms.”

  Sadashi and the others followed him on his way to the quarters, as he spun his hand. “I can also afford to…lose…say, about a weeks’ worth of food for three without drawing much suspicion.”

  Sadashi stopped him, before grabbing both his hands and facing him.

  “…thank you.”

  “…just give Atticus my thanks when you see him.” Richards assured, smiling back at him. “And tell him to clear his tab when he’s back.”

  “…will do.” Sadashi sheepishly agreed, before Richards scratched his chin.

  “So…” He started, before leaning into Sadashi. “…what’s with Aloette?”

  Sadashi darted his eyes around, as Aloette and Bridget curiously scanned around the place, with Aloette being taken in by the majesty of the oceanside view.

  “…she’s…his daughter.” Sadashi admitted, as Richards’ eyes widened.

  “Oh.” Richards said. “…huh…”

  “And she’s a noble.” Sadashi added, only confounding Richards more. “I know.”

  “…wow.” Richards let out, before continuing to walk. “Good for Atticus.”

  “If you’re into that sort of thing.” Sadashi followed up, looking back at Aloette curiously.

  Unbeknownst to either of them though, stumbling his way from the bar and rambling a nonsense song, all while catching a glimpse of the owner escorting some well-dressed traders through the building, a drunkard stumbled forward, finding something to lean on.

  Once he managed it, he caught a glimpse of Sadashi and Bridget’s faces through the glass.

  “…huh…” He said, wiping his mouth on his coat sleeve. “…so he’s here…”

  He thought on it for a second, before grinning.

  “…I’m willing to bet…”

  ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

  “HEY! HOW’RE YOU DOING BACK THERE?”

  Nyra’s crewmates gave a thumbs up from her ship, sailing right beside Flint’s, as she stepped back and watched the sun setting beside them.

  “Didn’t feel like travelling on your own ship?”

  Nyra turned to see Flint approaching and joining her by the side of the boat.

  “Nah, they’ve got it covered.” Nyra excused, before elbowing Flint’s side. “I was enjoying your company too much, big guy.”

  Flint let out a laugh, as the sound of raucous partying bled in from further down the main deck. Flint’s crew were tearing up a storm, laughing, drinking, and generally enjoying themselves.

  Flint looked over and appreciated the excitement they were all sharing, before catching a glimpse of Phil and Alfie’s ship off the port side.

  “…think we can trust them?” Nyra asked, as Flint shook his head.

  “Not a bit. But their help’s gonna be welcome. Won’t have to slink our way past the headquarters like we usually do.” Flint noted, indicating to the slightly greyer skies in the distance, indicative of the constant storms surrounding The Further. “We have to sail right beside that so no one’s dumb enough to follow us.”

  “…huh.” Nyra let out, electing not to mention how her crew’s able to pass by. “…well, I assume you’re gonna go party it up with your crew, so…”

  “Actually…” Flint noted, before pulling out a bottle of scotch from his jacket. “I was gonna invite you to share a drink in private and have a chat.”

  Nyra smirked. “Are you coming onto me, Flint?”

  Flint cracked a smile and laughed. “Nothing like that. To use your own words, I think I just enjoy your company.”

  He nodded his head slightly. “But I guess…we’ll see where the night takes us.”

  Nyra raised an eyebrow, before smiling and shrugging, as she followed him below deck to his private chamber, looking much nicer than anything above deck. While his ship was genuinely impressive in size and presence, it wasn’t exactly decorated.

  But despite being a smaller room, his chamber was covered in only the best-looking treasure he’d accrued over the years, some incredibly well-kept books, and what looked to be a private liquor collection.

  “So…” Nyra said, resting a hand on her hip. “You wanted to chat about anything in particular?”

  Flint walked to the liquor collection and grabbed a couple glasses.

  “Trust…is a rare thing on these seas.” He started, before handing her a glass.

  He poured himself some of the rum from the bottle.

  “But we trust so much when we go out. We trust the weather to cooperate and give us strong winds, we trust the ocean to welcome us and our vessel without obstruction, and we trust our crew to have our backs.”

  Nyra held her glass closer, as Flint poured her drink.

  “And yet…we don’t trust our fellow pirate.”

  Flint lifted the bottle back up.

  “And why would we? We’re in the same profession, but we’re all competing. We’re all trying to get by.” Flint argued, taking a sip of his drink. “We’ve got no reason to trust each other.”

  He grinned.

  “So…” Flint started, holding his glass up. “Let’s try and buck that trend in our revenge quest. Here’s to happy hunting.”

  Nyra smiled as well, before clinking her glass with his.

  “…nice little speech. Did you practice it beforehand?” Nyra remarked, as Flint waved his hand.

  “Nothing wrong with being earnest, Nyra.” Flint pointed out, as he sat down in his comfiest looking chair. “At the end of the day, piracy’s an honest business.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

  “Safe travels now!”

  Richards waved as the Royal Precession and civilian ships started pulling out of the docks, heading back up to Intide and Pelaga, right as it hit 10pm.

  After doing his usual routine of closing up shop and ushering the employees back to their quarters, he stopped in on Aloette and Sadashi, having mostly made themselves comfortable in their quarters, with Bridget ducking back onto her ship.

  “The royal ships have all left for tonight. Did you settle into your room fine, Aloette?” Richards asked, as Aloette gave an affirmative nod. “Sorry there wasn’t a three bed room available, but I figured you’d be fine sleeping on your own for a night.”

  “Perfectly understandable, and thank you again for the board.” Aloette insisted, as Richards blushed slightly. “I’m half tempted to get an early night myself.”

  “Actually…” Sadashi said, lying back on his bed, before sitting up. “You may want to stay up for a little longer. You’ll miss the other pirates otherwise.”

  “Other pirates?” Aloette remarked, turning to Richards curiously, as he chuckled slightly.

  “It’s the other half of the business. Trade secret.” Richards hinted, before taking his leave. “Give it another hour.”

  And so Aloette did just that, now practically buzzing with anticipation, and refusing to leave the room as she stared out the window, only looking away to glance back at the clock feverishly.

  Eventually, it hit 11pm, and right on cue, other ships started to pull in from the opposite direction of Intide, all very visibly pirate ships.

  Aloette gasped in excitement, as she grabbed Sadashi’s arm to pull him up and show him, despite him very much knowing what it was.

  As they got closer, she could now see Richards outside with a small lantern, and several boxes of alcohol stacked up behind him in anticipation.

  “Whoa…” Aloette let out, enamoured with it all, as Sadashi found himself slightly amused.

  “…you see.” He started, crouching behind and pointing to the ships. “Averole technically isn’t allowed to engage in commerce with pirates. However, if the Royal Precession isn’t here to witness it, that can’t be enforced.”

  His finger followed the ships as they pulled in. “So an hour after closing, Richards welcomes pirates in to buy as much as they need. But they’ve got to be out of here an hour before opening, or else the Royal Precession might catch them.”

  “And King Syrille hasn’t picked up on it?” Aloette asked, as Sadashi shrugged.

  “Hard to say. Could be that he doesn’t care to clamp down on it, sort of like Descrelate.” Sadashi noted. “Or that interfering with the business would hurt both parties. There’s a good chunk of Royal Precession members that might as well be pirates for how much they drink.”

  “Wow.” Aloette let out, right as Bridget came into the room, knocking gently on the door.

  “Supplies are loaded. Ship’s all ready for the morning.” Bridget said, as Sadashi stood up.

  “You’d best get to bed now, Aloette. We’ll need good rest for the next stretch.” Sadashi advised.

  Aloette sighed out and stood up to leave, as Bridget rested her hands on her hips.

  “Strictly speaking, I think both the women should be sharing a room.” Bridget insisted, as Sadashi glared at her.

  “I don’t trust you alone in a room with her.” Sadashi noted, pointing right at Bridget. “And I don’t trust you in a room alone either. I’m keeping an eye on you.”

  Right as Aloette passed, Bridget stuck her tongue out.

  “It’s rude to point, you meanie.”

  Sadashi let it slide, before waving to Aloette, as she headed down the hall to her room.

  After turning a couple corners, she reached her smaller room, still with a gorgeous view of the ocean, thanks to the building’s almost entirely glass exterior.

  “It feels like home.” Aloette noted, sighing out. “And yet I feel so different…even then, Sadashi whisked me off to bed just like mother used to…”

  Aloette found herself getting annoyed.

  “…there must be someway to cement my position as captain.” Aloette wondered, before pouting and landing on the bed. “But Sadashi and Bridget won’t hear it. Why must they sap the fun out of this?”

  Aloette clicked her tongue, before falling back onto the bed.

  “…though I suppose they’re doing it for a good reason. I’ve only been out to sea about a week now.” Aloette noted, rolling to her side. “And both of them are far more cut out for the position…”

  In a second, Aloette shot up.

  “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be miffed about it!”

  She stood up and started idly wandering.

  “Sadashi’s already an accomplished pirate, and Bridget’s a skilful thief. They have their roles.” Aloette insisted, before slamming her fist down into her hand. “And I refuse to be a passenger! This journey’s a chance to prove myself. I can lead if I really want it.”

  She pumped her fist proudly. “I’ll follow after you, dad. Nothing but captain for your Pirate Princess.”

  “It’s so quiet and intimate.” Bridget remarked, rolling her shoulders playfully, as Sadashi lay on his bed, eyes closed, looking like he was pretending to sleep. “Just two people, alone in a room…”

  “Shut up, please.” Sadashi insisted, grabbing the bridge of his nose. “I haven’t had decent sleep in weeks.”

  Bridget pouted. “You’re no fun. How about you take some notes from Aloette? She’s loving every moment of this trip.”

  “Yeah, because we’ve gotten out of every scrape unharmed.” Sadashi pointed out. “She’s only had the fun parts so far, not the hard stuff.”

  “…yeah, true.” Bridget agreed, making up her bed. “Though judging by her demeanour, I don’t think she’d really differentiate the two. Sort of an adrenaline junkie, that one.”

  “Until it gets bloody.” Sadashi noted, now turning away from Bridget, as Bridget took the hint and got herself ready to rest.

  Richards waited patiently by the shoreline, checking his watch to see whether it was time to turn over shifts.

  It was about to reach midnight, as he let out a large breath, right as other ships started appearing on the horizon.

  “Guess there’s a few more deliveries t…”

  He had to stop himself, as right in front of his eyes, a massive Royal Precession ship passed right by him, completely blocking the other ships from view.

  He stepped back in worry, running to peer around the hull and check on the other ships, as they were now circling around and sailing back at the sight of the Royal Precession.

  Snapping Richards from his shock, a small knocking came from the deck, as Piper leaned over his banister.

  “So…how’s business?”

  The ocean.

  A truly beautiful thing, especially to Aloette.

  While her room back in Intide did have a beautiful view, it was still one of the furthest points on the island from the ocean. Her view was mostly taken up by the city.

  But here, on her journey, she gets to stare out at it whenever she wants.

  A truly beautiful thing.

  She found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, having made herself comfortable in her nightie, as sh-

  RINGRINGRINGRINGRINGRING!!!

  Aloette jumped from her bed, stirred by the loud bell ringing coming from her window.

  The moment she looked out, it was consumed by the massive shadow of a Royal Precession ship, heading straight for the docks.

  Once her ears finally stopped ringing and heartbeat slowed down, she quickly got up, still donning her nightie, and ran to Sadashi and Bridget’s room.

  “Sadashi! Bridget! Are you awake?!” She whisper-yelled, right as she reached their room. “It’s Piper, he fol-“

  Aloette stopped, before finally taking in the room and seeing there was a struggle. No blood looked to be spilled, but Sadashi and Bridget clearly weren’t there.

  “…what happe…no!” Aloette let out, clutching her nightie, as the realisation hit her.

  “They ain’t bleeding, are they?” Piper asked, standing atop his deck, as the officers tightened the restraints around the unconscious Sadashi and Bridget.

  “No admiral. It was just enough to knock them out.”

  “Good, good.” Piper let out, right as the officers went to move them to the prison cells below deck. “Hold on, wait.”

  They stopped, as Piper waved his hand. “Ya’ll can move them down later. I wanna see the look in their faces when they come to.”

  One of the higher ranked officers approached Piper’s side and saluted. “Piper, sir, what about that Aloette girl?”

  Piper turned to him and smiled, before patting his cheek.

  “We needn’t waste time.”

  Piper started making his way down, as he called out to the rest of his crew.

  “The owner of this lovely island is being very generous for us right now! We’re heading straight for Intide for the execution! Grab as many supplies as we need, we’re heading out the moment we get light again!” Piper announced, as the officers saluted, before heading off to do just that.

  And right as she reached the docks, Aloette hid herself, before catching the bodies of Sadashi and Bridget sitting in the middle of the ship, surrounded on all ends by guards.

  “Oh…”

  Aloette gulped.

  “Oh no…”