The boy listened the conversation between the mother and daughter. There was a slight surprise on his face as he found out Cretas didn't actually knew about it yet. The surprise changed into quick worry as he was certain it would make her even angrier.

However the reaction he expected didn't happen, Collen was confused. He rubbed his neck slightly as Cretas talked to him. "Yes, ma'am." the boy gave his usual short reply as he didn't know what else to say. He replied to Lemnia's wave to a little awkward nod.

"I need to work now." he stated and picked up his bucket and mop again hurrying off. He didn't want to be accused for slacking off in the middle of work but also didn't want to seem too rude to the important person. With a sigh, he sinked the mop into the water and started cleaning the deck.

Cretas and Lemnia waved to Collen as he went about his duties, and Cretas bounced her daughter, much to her delight, before tickling her with her free hand.

"Ready to meet the Captain, love?"

Lemnia nodded, and the pair went up the stairs beside the wheel and knocked on the doors to the Captain's Quarters.

"Come in." Came a muffled voice.

Cretas opened the door and walked inside. As she shut it, Lemnia took in the sight of the Captain sipping at a mug. Their eyes met, and the hair on the back of Lemnia's neck instantly stood on end and she turned her head to hide behind her mother as she turned around.

"Greetings, Captain."

"Miss Cretas. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if-wait... You didn't used to talk like that, did you?"

"I talk to my crew as I would another sailor. But for you, I think a more eloquent manner of speech is warranted. Don't you agree, as our esteemed leader and guest aboard our vessel?" He asked with a smile.

"Hm. Well, I don't think special treatment is really warranted. I'm just a cartographer. But I appreciate the sentiment."

The Captain stood up and walked around his table, giving Cretas a short nod as he looked at Lemnia who was still hiding her face over her mother's shoulder.

"And is this who I think it is?"

"Indeed. This is my little sun and stars, Lemnia. Love, say "hello" to the Captain, please."

Lemnia slowly turned her head. Putting on her best brave face, she smiled for the Captain and said "Hi."

"She's as beautiful and charming as I could imagine. Well met, young lady." He said pleasantly.

He took Lemnia's hand and gave her a bow of his head before letting go. Lemnia quickly retracted the hand, wrapped it around her mother's neck, and went back into hiding.

"She's a little shy."

The Captain chuckled.

"Not a problem. I'm sure we'll become good friends before journey's end."

He walked around the table and sat down once more, gesturing to the fruit bowl he had on display. "Would you care for some fruit?"

"Oh, thank you so much. But I've eaten my fill today and couldn't possibly indulge another bite lest my poor stomach explode."

Both of them laughed. And Lemnia began to tremble in her mother's arms. Hoisting Lemnia into a slightly more comfortable position and height, Cretas stroked her hair and back.

"Well Captain, thank you for your time. I wanted to take a moment to get you two introduced. Now that you have, I think it's time to take this one below deck for some rest."

"Of course, miss Estallamos. Be well. And miss Lemnia? I wish you a pleasant rest."

Cretas gave her a little bounce, and Lemnia said "thank you" before Cretas left the room. As the door closed, the Captain walked over and locked it as his smile faded and he took a deep, deep breath.

"Aye... She's exactly what we need, isn't she?" He asked seemingly to nobody in particular.

His hand gently stroked the wooden frame of the door in the same manner that one would stroke the hair of their lover before making his way to the back of the room to look out the window once again in silence.

On deck, Cretas took Lemnia to the bow where she sat on the railing.

"You okay, love?"

"He scared me." She squeaked.

"Aww, love. Don't worry. And try not to judge too early, okay? He's not that bad. You'll see."

From his perch on the mast beam, Tora watched and listened to the pair before glancing back to the Captain's Quarters doors. His glare hardened slightly, and he looked down at Lemnia who happened to glance up and see him. Giving her a smile and a wave, Lemnia smiled shyly and waved back.

That evening, most of the crew all gathered below deck to rest after a long day's activities. The two lonely men on deck were the helmsman at the wheel, and the crewman in the crow's nest keeping an eye out for distant dangers on the high seas.

Suddenly, the doors leading below deck were smashed open with the light barreling out as Cretas, lantern in hand, walked out to the middle of the deck and set the lantern down. She walked back to the doors leading below, and...

"Come on out, all you big boy scalleywaggles or or whatever you call yourselves! Time's wasting!!"

The crew tried to fight back, but the first man to speak up in a more than rude attempt to silence her received a hard kick to a very sensitive area and collapsed at her feet. He was subsequently dragged up the steps and tossed unceremoniously by the lantern. Cretas appeared again at the doorway looking at everyone with a calm smile.

"Anyone else?"

In less than 3 seconds the entire crew was on their feet and shuffling out the doors as Cretas stood aside and let them all out. And then, as Collen approached from the back of the pack, Cretas reached out and hoisted him up over into a reverse one-armed hug.

"Hey kiddo. I didn't get your name the last time I saw you. Care to share?" She asked while using her free hand to try tickling his ribs.

Collen burst into laughter as her fingernails gently scraped against his ticklish lower ribs and the sides of his neck. "C-Collen! St-stop! I can't-" He gasped and laughed in equal measure as Cretas giggles along with him.

She then turned him towards herself and kneeled down to brush him off.

"Aw, look at all this," she said as she examined his clothing. "Looks like you need some new clothes. So tell ya what? When we reach the new world, I'll make you a new outfit myself! How about it?" She asked with a smile and a wink.

"Uh, sure ma'am."

"Perfect!" She said as she gave both his shoulders a soft pat. "Come on. Let's get on deck." She said as she kept one hand on his upper back and helped walk him up the stairs and out onto the deck.

With everyone present, she closed the doors behind herself and Collen and ushered him into the crowd as she found Lemnia, picked her up, pushed her way through to the middle, picked up the lantern, and turned in a circle to see everyone.

"Okay, everyone! Since we're all gonna be on this ship together for quite a while I think it's time we got to know each other!"

A crewman itched his nose. "Is this gonna be like one o' dem name circles or sumfin?"

"Something like that, yeah. I don't know everyone. And neither does my daughter, Lemnia. Say "hi" everyone!" She said as she held Lemnia up by her armpits for a second before bringing her back to rest against her chest.

The crew was silent and looked at each other in confusion.

"... My boots are a bit antsy, gentlemen." She said as she tapped the toes of her right foot, which she'd used to kick the first crewman in happy land earlier, against the deck.

A few beads of sweat gathered.

"Uh, hi there missy." Said one crewman.

"Good. Come on everyone! Don't be shy!"

The crew all, though not really in unison, said "hi" to Lemnia as she shyly waved back.

"Great! Say hi, love."

"H-hi." Lemnia squeaked before burying her face in her mother's shoulder.

The action got a couple "Awws" from a few crewmen while everyone else gave sideways glances to each other.

"She's a little shy. But she'll get used to you all. Don't worry!"

"Dun recall nobody sayin' dey be worryin'." Said one crewman.

Cretas turned to face him with a calm smile and walked right up to him.

"Pardon? I didn't hear you."

"Uh... Dun think nobody be worryin' 'bout her bein' shy er nuffin."

"Mmm... Okay. What's your name?"

"Anthony."

"Anthony. Nice to meet you," she said as she held out her hand to shake his.

After shaking hands, she walked back to the middle of the gathering.

"Who'd like to introduce themselves next?" She asked pleasantly.

Korrin’s attempt to finding some measure of peace and slumber later in the evening was interrupted by Cretas. Looks like there was more to the day as under pain of...pain, Korrin journeyed to where most of the crew were gathered. It seemed Miss Cretas wanted to get to know the crew better. So he decided to listen in on it for a time as he watched the introduction given for Lemnia.

Chuckling at the cute scene he heard the question of who would wish to introduce themselves next. He weighed the options to going next and saying his greetings to a large crowd of people. Deciding it would be better to say his hello’s quick so that they’d move down to others, therefore he made his option. ”I’ll do it Ms. Cretas. Hello everyone, Korrin Arzan, Hunter and Fighter at your service. I hope we all have a fantastic journey together and hopefully get some good stories to tell everyone at home about.” he said in greeting. ”As a hunter, I have one question to ask, does the sea have any good fish to catch?”

He heard tales of large fish whenever he stopped near port towns in his travels, and wondered if they were true or not, so he thought to ask as part of his introduction.

The young boy was not paying much attention after Cretas had dragged him on the deck as he was lost in his memories. He was slightly ashamed that he had been laughing from the tickling but he also couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed like that. With the crew being all male, Collen had gotten used to having a tougher shell around them.

His thoughts drifted back to his home and his mother. How long had it been since he had seen her last? Must have been at least six months by now, maybe even more. Time had lost its meaning to him over the sea. He tried to remember how it felt to be embraced by his mother but even that was hard. Before he had joined Lohran’s crew, his days were mostly spent with his father. They left with his fishing boat before sunrise and stayed all day in the sea, while his mother stayed home with his younger brother. When they returned home Collen was usually too tired to do anything else than eat dinner and go to sleep before a day just like others repeated itself.

He was woken up from his memories as one of the crewmates nudged him with his shoulder. “Boy, your name.”

Collen looked up, seeing few people watching him as he clearly hadn't paid attention. “Uh… Collen.” he said quietly and quickly looked back down.

Several members of the crew burst into laughter following Korrin's introduction, even as Collen introduced himself.

"Aye, ya hear that lads? We gots ourselves a pint-sized hunter and fighter on our ship!" Laughed one.

"How does a lad so small end up a hunter of all things?" Another asked as he walked up to Korrin, towering over him by more than a foot, and putting a flat hand up to the top of his head to measure him.

"Aye, maybe he's one ov dem rabbit chasers I be hearin' 'bout!" Said another.

"Aye, must be. Must be." Said the one who measured him.

He was used to ridicule, but to be called Pint-sized was a brand new one. Korrin heaved a sigh until he heard the question he always hated being asked. How did he end up being what he is now, as if he had a choice before. That was it, The absolute final straw.

”So you want to know how Eh?” He said, his tone shifting as he spoke through clenched teeth, ”Well, sir It’s like THIS!” The moment he said that Korrin punched the man who was measuring him in the stomach area as hard as he could, the flame overtaking his senses and causing him to see nothing but red.

”Anyone else wants to try their luck?! I’ve got more where that came from!” If no one calmed him down, what little sense Korrin had left dreaded the memory of fighting several men blackout drunk. But, the Flame had crawled and found a good spot to let loose.

”Should’ve approached me with a pint before asking questions like that!” was the thought that was overtaking him. The fighter only put on his best angry warrior face afterwards, getting ready for the consequences of his actions.

The man punched by Korrin doubled over in pain and lost his breath, slumping to the floor and coughing as others around him watched in a mixture of amusement and anger.

"Aye! Watcha do that fer ya pint-sized brat?!" Bellowed one of the deckhands.

"Ye'll pay fer that!" Yelled another as he rushed at Korrin.

Several members of the crew tried to make peace between those that started rushing, but the adrenaline and testosterone flowing like raging rivers swiftly caused the entire affair to break down into a massive brawl as nobody could agree on whether this deserved punishment or peace.

Cretas, holding Lemnia, was pushed aside as she too tried to get everyone to calm down. But it wasn't until Lemnia was hit in the arm by a stray backhand and yelped in pain that Cretas too lost herself to a burning rage. She forced her way out of the crowd, set Lemnia down in a safe spot by the stairs leading to the upper deck, and raced into the crowd leaping onto the back of one crewman. She wrapped her arms around his neck, legs around his stomach, and wrenched his head back and to the side causing him to fall down as she choked him into submission.

Tora attempted to come down from the sail and help subdue the combatants, but he too was met with no luck as fist after fist either sailed past him or into his torso. Most were glancing blows not intended for him. But the pain began setting in nonetheless.

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot rang out stopping everyone in their tracks. As they looked up towards where it had come from, the Captain stood by the wheel aiming his gun at the lantern in the center of the brawl which had been broken and the fire from the candle had fallen onto the deck causing a tiny flame to sizzle beside its former container.

"Mister Lubcre... Put that out." The Captain said calmly as he blew the smoke from the barrel.

"Aye Cap'n!" Mister Lubcre replied.

He swiftly grabbed a bucked of seawater and dumped it onto the fire, putting the deck into darkness save the light of the moon overhead which was just enough to see.

The Captain walked slowly down the deck after holstering his gun, hands behind his back, and walked calmly to the center of the gathering. Everyone around him moved away like bugs from the light in a cave until they all came to a stop as he did.

Slowly, he turned and glanced to everyone's faces.

"Would any of ye care to tell me what happn'd on me ship to make such a fuss?"

Silence was the answer until Cretas pushed her way forward through the crowd. Lohran eyed her warily.

"Miss Estallamos... Was this yer doin/?"

She nodded her head.

"Mm. If I be a bettin' man, I'd say ye tried to have everyone share names and stories o' themselves for some kinda bondin' exercise. That be about right?"

Again, she nodded and gave her apologies.

"I see... That be all well and good. But all of ye should know better." He said with a bit more of a growl in his voice as he scanned the crowd of his crew.

"Ye've all been here long enough. Ye know me rules... Ye know me patience is very thin, don't ye?"

The crew all nodded vigorously.

"Then who be the one who threw the first punch?" He asked.

Korrin didn’t know how long he was fighting, but by the time the haze fell the crew was in dead silence as the Captain was not happy in his walking and was trying to determine the punishments. That meant Korrin’s life was on the line as the question to who threw the first punch was called out by the Captain.

”What good will it do if I admitted it?” He asked Himself in all honesty, but knew there’d be worse punishments if no one came forward. So wordlessly, and grunting and groaning from the various bruises upon his body, still shaking from the fumes of the flame, Korrin walked till he stood with Cretas in front of the tall Imposing Captain.

”You should teach your men better then, sir if they see fit to judge things by how things look. If they can’t take an angry sucker punch after insulting a man, then what good are they if someone took you by surprise? My only regret is that I showed my employer my darker side, who’s quickness to anger is just as thin as your patience, Sir.“ He asked pointedly, jade eyes looking up at the Captain still wild and angry from various things that happened in the brawl.

Korrin knew this would probably lead him to more pain, pain of punishment, and possible pain of death. But he kept his eyes locked on the Captain, well prepared for anything that was going to happen. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time he was punished for letting loose the Flame, and, Desmiel willing, might not be the last.

Everyone's faces in the crew drained of color and their stomachs dropped lower and lower with each word.

The Captain, however, remained silent and unflinching in the face of the outburst and insulting tone.

"Mister Lubcre."

"Aye, Cap'n?"

"Be this the one who punched first?"

"Aye, Cap'n!"

"And be I correct in presuming he be insulting me leadership skills?"

"Aye, Cap'n!"

Everyone began to sweat visibly, and some even started trembling.

"... Then I be knowin' what to do with the likes of this urchin." He growled unnervingly softly.

He walked up to Korrin, standing just a hand taller and glaring down his nose at the young Hunter/Fighter.

"Ye have a strong fightin' spirit, boy. But yer accusin' be far outta line." He said as he leaned down closer, putting them nose to nose. "And I don't be appreciatin' it, none."

He stood up straight, waiting to see if Korrin had anything to say in response or in his defense.

”I do not mean to accuse or insult you sir. If it came off that way, then I am willing to give an apology to your leadership, sir.” Korrin replied, having a really bad feeling for his life as the fumes of the flame started to sputter out.

He cursed himself in his mind for speaking the words of his outburst. The Flame was going to get him killed one of these days, Damn it all!

The Captain, meanwhile, took in a breath.

"Aye... That be better."

He turned his back and walked towards the railing looking out over the sea.

"There be two kinds of people who know me temper and the consequences of stokin' that temper. Me crew..." He turned his head, eyeing Korrin out of the corner of his eye. "And me enemies." He growled again in that unnervingly soft tone.

Returning his gaze to the sea, he spoke loud and clear. "It be wise not to tempt fate while yer on me ship, boy. Here, on the Silver Moon, the laws of the land don't apply. I be the law supreme."

Turning around after a few moments, he walked forward and scanned the faces of his crew.

"As fer the rest of ye... Ye know me rules. And the boy be right about one thing. I expect me crew to behave in such a way as to not endanger the Silver Moon." He pointed at the burn marks and bullet hole left in the deck from the gunshot and the little bit of fire from the candle flame. "She be worth more than all yer lives put together... So when I wake up tomorrow and come out of me quarters I expect those planks to be replaced and lookin' like the rest. Do I be clear?"

"YES, CAP'N!!" The entire crew yelled in unison.

"Aye. Then I be goin' to bed."

The Captain walked slowly with his hands behind his back to the stairs, up the stairs, and to his quarters. Each step and foot fall on the deck sounded like a hammer in the silence of the crew. And at last the sound of his door shutting sounded, and silence once again reigned supreme.

Cretas took in a deep breath.

"I take full responsibility for this, everyone. I'm sorry." She glanced around the crew, all of whom looked like they had just come back shell shocked from war. "I'll... Get to know you all individually as we go along... Good night."

Cretas walked over to where she left Lemnia, and found her curled into a fetal position holding her ears and facing the wall underneath the stairs.

"Lemnia, my love? Are you all right?"

The girl was trembling uncontrollably. But not from the cool night air.

"My love?" Cretas cooed softly.

She put a hand on Lemnia's shoulder, and the girl practically shot to her feet, nearly hitting her head on the stairs, eyes wide as saucers and filled with tears and a line of mucus dripping from her nose, as she backed away like a cornered mouse under the gaze of a hungry cat. She crammed herself as far back under the stairs as she could manage, still shaking like a leaf and staring at her mother as if she'd never seen her before.

Seeing this reaction instantly brought Cretas to silent tears of her own as her mouth hung partially agape.

"Lemnia..." She whispered, finding her voice at long last. "My love. It's okay... It's mommy."

Lemnia continued trembling and brought her arms in defensively as Cretas carefully and cautiously crept forward on her hands and knees towards her daughter.

"My love," she whispered ever so softly. "It's all right. He's gone, now."

She gently wrapped her arms around Lemnia who continued to stare up at her mother with wide, vacant, tear-filled eyes.

"Your father's not here, my love. It's just you and me." She cooed, kissing Lemnia's head.

The light seemed to return to Lemnia's eyes in that moment and she slowly melted into sobs and buried her face in her mother's chest. Cretas scooped her up into her arms and rubbed the back of her head and sang softly for her through her own tears.

"Rest, my darling. Welcome sleep. Momma will be here, so don't you weep. Rest, my darling. Wait and see. Momma's always here... Please trust in me."

As Cretas continued to sing, Lemnia's trembling slowly subsided and she sang with her mother whilst tightly gripping the fabric of her shirt. It took almost ten minutes of cooing and singing before Lemnia finally drifted away into the land of dreams. And Cretas wasted no time in taking her below deck and tucking her into their designated spot and stroking her hair.

As the fight started Collen was scurrying away to the side. He kept himself low, but doing so he was accidentally elbowed on his cheek. Collen had no time to see who it was as he groaned, the pain making him see stars momentarily. He stumbled on the side and took hold of the railing. "That's going to leave a bruise." He muttered.

Having his back towards the Captain's quarters, the sudden gunshot startled him as he turned around and looked at Lohran. Just seeing the Captain angry made him swallow. As he listened the conversation between Lohran and Korrin, Collen was certain the hunter was going to be hunted and thrown overboard. He was just as certain that few more crew members would end up with broken fingers.

Collen watched Captain in silence with everyone else. He didn't dare to move an inch but was surprised Lohran was letting Korrin go. As the door closed behind him, Collen let out a deep breath, only to realize he had been holding his breath for a good while. With the rest of the crew he hurried to fix the deck, fetching whatever supplies he was told to. The crew worked in hushed whispers to stay as quiet as possible. Even the sound of hammering was muffled with a piece of cloth between the nail and hammer. No one wanted to anger Lohran again.

Collen felt irritated as he was losing important rest. He blamed Korrin for it and in his opinion the hunter should have been the one fixing the deck since he had been the one angering the Captain and starting the fight. Collen had already decided he would avoid him the best he could. But he was also giving Cretas some blame. After all she had woken him up and dragged him on the deck to begin with. With the long days on the ship, Collen wanted every chance to rest.

As he finally got below the deck to sleep, Collen rubbed his cheek slightly. This time it had been an accident, but there had been many times where it hadn't. There was a barely audible sigh as he drifted to sleep. Sleep that was restless with memories he didn't want to remember.

The next morning, as per usual, Tora sat quietly on the sail beam watching the ocean as the crew scrubbed the deck and went about their daily duties below.

Following a few minutes of reflection upon last night's debacle, Tora heaved a sigh and was about to jump off the beam when he spied Lemnia standing beneath him. Unable to shift in time to avoid her, he twisted himself in mid-air and caught the beam, tucking his knees up to his chest, and looking down to see she was okay. She was now looking up at him in confusion.

"What are you doing, mister?"

"Um... I was trying to come down. But I didn't want to fall on you."

"Do I have to move?"

"Um, no. That won't be necessary. One moment."

Tora lowered himself as far as he could go without touching her, and swung forward landing on his feet a short distance away much to Lemnia's delight.

"Whoooooooaaaaa!" She exclaimed while clapping her hands with a big smile. "That was amazing! Do it again! Do it again!" She cheered while hopping in place.

Tora stood up straight and smiled with a chuckle.

"I'm afraid that's all the acrobatics I have in me for one day."

He walked up to Lemnia and knelt down to talk at eye level with her.

"Your name is Lemnia, correct?"

"Mhmm."

"My name's Tora. Nice to meet you." He said, extending his hand.

Lemnia cautiously reached out to shake his hand, and was somewhat taken aback by how soft his grip was as they shook.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hee hee." She giggled.

"So what brings you out on deck at this hour of the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep. But I didn't wanna wake momma."

"Ah. I see. That's very sweet of you to look after your mother."

Lemnia smiled.

"If I'm not mistaken, your mother sang to you last night under the stairs over there," he said, pointing to the stairs leading to the upper deck. "Was everything all right?"

Lemnia looked at the stairs, and then up to where the Captain had fired the gun while looking out over them from the upper deck. Her hands began to tremble and tighten into fists in front of her chest. Seeing this, Tora was uncertain of how to proceed. But there was a part of him that wanted to shelter the now trembling child from whatever ghosts of the past she was clearly seeing. But to reach for her now when he didn't know her, nor she him? That was wrong.

Reluctantly, Tora could only snap his fingers which got her attention... But not in the way he'd planned. Lemnia started, jumped back, and fell to the deck before rapidly scooting away from him with wide eyes and erratic breathing.

Tora froze. Lemnia's gaze was now focused squarely on his hand which he calmly opened and placed on his lap. Her eyes followed it unblinkingly, and Tora took a deep breath and smiled for the girl.

"Forgive me, Lemnia. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

He sat back a bit further on his heels and rested his right hand over his left.

"Please. Don't be afraid. I won't harm you."

Lemnia slowly seemed to come back to herself, but kept a wary eye on his hand as she stood up and brushed herself off.

"You promise?" She asked with a subtle tremor in her voice.

"On my honor as a warrior, I will never harm you."

Tora bowed his head forward, leaning his body to an almost 45 degree angle, before sitting up straight. Lemnia approached slowly, looking him in the eyes. And as Tora observed calmly, the fear and helplessness he saw in those eyes broke his heart. He began to lift his right hand, but caught himself at the last second and placed it back down over his left.

Lemnia finally reached him, standing but a foot away from his knees looking him in the eye.

"Will you hurt momma?"

"I would never. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I'm here on this voyage to protect your mother."

Lemnia's eyes lit up slightly, and she leaned in while clasping both hands in front of her chest.

"You mean it? You'll protect momma?"

Tora slowly reached behind his back and retrieved his blade, setting it down on the deck beside himself.

"This blade is an extension of my heart, Lemnia. And this heart will break before it sees your mother come to any harm."

Suddenly, Tora found himself struggling to maintain his balance as Lemnia had thrown herself towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!!!!" She cried.

Tora cleared his throat and sat upright, taking a deep breath as Lemnia hugged him tightly. She was quite strong for her size and age, he had to admit. And... It was kind of adorable, now that he thought about it. He'd never considered having children of his own. But he found himself wondering about whether or not this was what it felt like? To have a child, such a small and frail thing, clinging to you. Depending on you. Making you feel important and wanted when the rest of the adult world didn't give you a second look.

Perhaps parenthood wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Lemnia continued to hold onto Tora's neck, silently sniffling back tears she was fighting to keep from falling. Tora's defenses broke down completely upon hearing and feeling this, and he gently returned her embrace while picking her up in the same manner her mother always did.

"Rest easy, Lemnia. You and your mother are safe with me. I promise."

Lemnia nodded with a tiny grunt, but kept her arms around his neck and her chin nestled on his shoulder. Tora smiled and calmly used one hand to replace his blade at his back, and walked to the edge of the deck to look out at the sea as Lemnia's grip subtly loosened and she seemed to slide down just a touch and turned her head inward towards his neck.

At that moment, Cretas emerged from below deck with sleepy eyes and a big yawn as she stretched her arms out above her head. As she relaxed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she scanned the deck until she saw Lemnia and Tora. And as the fog of her mind cleared, her eyes opened wide and her jaw went slack. She walked over as quietly as she could and walked around the far side with Tora eyeing her out of the corner of his eye with a smile. Cretas gave the "hush" gesture, and smiled ear to ear to see how relaxed and comfortable Lemnia was in his arms. Her right hand covered her mouth and her eyes began watering as he looked up at Tora, patted her chest and mouthed, "thank you."

Tora gave her a nod, and Cretas snuck away to let Lemnia enjoy this moment with her new friend.

In the morning Collen felt groggy. His cheek felt sore and just as he had expected there was a bruise now. But he had no time to complain or worry about it as he headed straight to the kitchen. It was his daily task to take breakfast to Captain and this time he was extremely careful not to drop it. The boy was relieved as he made it to the door and knocked on it.

"Breakfast Captain!'

Getting the permission to enter, Collen walked in and placed the tray down quickly. He kept his head low and was dismissed straight away. He walked back to the kitchen to get a small portion of breakfast for himself. He sat on a crate in the corner as he was trying to stay out of the way as usual.

Korrin had a difficult remainder of the night, despite trying to help fix the deck out of shame for causing the fight. The Captain certainly left his impression on him for sure. Korrin felt guilty for even losing control and causing the brawl. However tomorrow was a new day, and with it comes lessons learned on a ship like this.

This sort of ship was like the forests he was accustomed to. Watch your back, or you end up being killed by something stronger then you. Korrin nodded at people in silent good mornings as he ventured towards the kitchen for breakfast. He then spotted the young boy who worked about the ship in a corner and decided to sit near him and give an apology to him.

"Morning kid." He said in greeting as he took a bite of breakfast. "Sorry about... last night and all. I didn't think I'd lose my temper by just talking."

Collen gave an irritated side glance at Korrin as this was apologizing. "Why does he even bother?" Clearly this self-claimed hunter had no idea of what he had done last night. Collen took a bite of his food and then turned to look at him with a deadly serious expression.

"You're fucking lucky bastard to even be alive. If one of the crew acted like that, they had been thrown overboard. Or worse."

Collen lowered his voice slightly, not wanting to be caught badmouthing about Lohran. "Capt'n breaks your fingers for small mistakes. Graft there lost two fingers for dropping a box." He pointed one of the crew mates heading up to work. "Liars get their limbs pulled. Hell, I watched Capt'n throw Wells in the sea for not cleaning the deck fast enough."

Collen shook his head as he continued to eat his breakfast. Thoughts like that would have made a normal person to lose their appetite but for Collen it had become a new norm.

"You fucking landlubbers think you're so much better. You just walk onto a ship and do whatever the hell you want. And then we have to fix your damn mess."

Korrin listened to the boy’s talk as he ate what breakfast he procured. Whilst the point was made that he had sheer dumb luck to be still breathing after the brawl and speaking to the Captain, Korrin was unprepared for the boy talking up what would’ve been his fate. It caused him to swallow his breakfast with an audible gulp. Maybe luck sided with him just the once, yet the resolve to still keep a sharp eye behind him at all times was there now.

The talk about Landlubbers thinking they were better then others caused him to raise an eyebrow. After hearing the rest of the statement about how young Collen felt about Lanlubbers caused him to wince at the sharpness of the words. Kid gave some sharp points in both his lecture and the delivering of said lecture. Such words deserved an honest reply.

”Well Lad, if it makes you feel happy, I don’t think myself better then anyone. I’m not, or else that brawl would have ever happened. Instead, I’d have joked back at their questions and asked for a proper drink in exchange for answers.” He said, giving a regret filled smirk, “A better man wouldn’t get mad over silly insults or start fights over it. As for the my luck last night with the Captain, I wouldn’t call being scared shitless before a man like the Captain luck. I’d call it being scared shitless after the haze of anger faded away.”

Korrin sighed, before checking around the kitchen ensuring no child, in other words Lemnia, was about. ”On the other hand, if it was luck, then I must’ve used a good portion of it. I doubt I’ll get that lucky again. Lastly, shall you and I have an agreement not to curse near the young child whenever she’s about? Her mum would probably appreciate it if we didn’t end up giving her the habit.” with that, Korrin finished his breakfast, and stood up to find something else to do, that probably didn’t involve looking at anyone he may have fought with in the eye, save for apologies.

”Have a good day lad. Need any extra help with work just let me know.” with that, he began to walk.

Collen listened how Korrin rambled on about not being better than anyone else. He didn’t fully believe that as actions spoke more than words. And so far much of Korrins actions hadn’t convinced him. If he saw him pull his weight on the ship, pull those long days everyone else did, his mind might change. He rolled his eyes and kept eating.

There was ever so slight chuckle as Korrin admitted being scared of Lohran. He knew that feeling all too well. Even just delivering his daily breakfast, Collen expected to be stopped by his harsh voice. “Yea, everyone fears him. And your luck is done with.” he glancecd at Korrin.

When Korrin asked him not to curse around Lemnia, the boy gave a little shrug. “Sure, whatever.”
“Good luck with that with everyone cursing on this ship” he thought as he finished his breakfast and got up to take his bowl away.

“Help eh?” Collen stopped Korrin with his words and watched him with sharp eyes. “Capt’n's soon finished his breakfast. Go get the dishes.”

He turned his back to him to hide the smirk on his lips as went on to his next daily task, to clean the bowls from breakfast.

Korrin stops short at Collen’s words as he looks back to him incredulously with a pale complexion on his face. ”Are you trying to get me killed now?!” He thought frantically. Was the boy serious, joking, or was this Karma for causing the fight last night Finally biting him in the arse?

”After we just agreed my luck is probably done he wants to throw me under the wagon so he doesn’t want to deal with whatever foul mood the Captain’s in due to my outburst! Clever lad all the same, joking or not!” Korrin was nonetheless terrified at the prospect of what Collen proposed.

”Very well, if you insist on testing my luck further.” the young hunter said as he walks out of the kitchen and, though his every instinct told him not to step one foot further towards potential death, he finds himself at the Captain’s door, raising his hand to knock on it. For a brief moment, he was in a dark place in his memories, vividly recalling himself facing a man and rightly being afraid of him. No. The Captain from what Korrin could understand from Collen’s information, was worse then him. ”Don’t even pay those memories a second glance, He can’t hurt me. He’s miles and years away.”

With that, he knocked on the door. ”Fetching your dishes Captain. Lad’s got his hands full down below.” with that, Korrin entered and quickly took the used dishes trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

The Captain's back was to him, facing the rear window gazing out at the sea. But his head turned over his shoulder at Korrin's entry and a single black furry eyebrow arched beneath his Captain's Hat. Korrin barely noticed that, as he finished collecting the dishes and leaving the Captain’s quarters to go back to the Kitchen. He’ll not ask Collen if he needed help for the rest of the morning that’s for certain.

Tora spent the morning standing on deck watching the sea with a certain child quite literally attached to his hip. With one tiny hand gripping the sash at his waist, and the other on the railing, Lemnia glanced up at him to try and see what he was looking at. But all she saw was the ocean.

As Tora meandered about the deck, that little hand remained gripped to his sash. Some of the crew gave chuckled and shook their head as he passed, earning a cold glare in return from Tora. Lemnia, meanwhile, was oblivious to these exchanges as she kept her eyes glued to the back of his head.

As they continued around the deck, Cretas watched with glee and couldn't help but chuckle every time they passed her as she sat on the stairs leading to the upper deck. Lemnia gave her mother a happy wave, and Cretas blew a kiss to her as she kept pace with Tora.

Elsewhere, near the bow, one of the crew began throwing up over the edge into the sea.

"Arr... Again, mister Dibbs?"

"Uogh... Aye... urp... Aye, mister Arsworth. Me stomach be mighty unhappy with me breakfast."

"Don't be sayin' that 'round the Cook, mister Dibbs."

"Aye... I be knowin' tha-urp... Uogh..."

Arsworth, a burly man in his early-40's with short cut and graying hair, sighed and shook his head. Dibbs, mid-20's with a shaved head save for the blonde ponytail at the very back which fell to his waist, continued urping and groaning over the edge as everyone else gave each other the "ew" look and continued their duties of scrubbing the deck and keeping a weather eye on the horizon.

On the deck near the forward mast, a group of crewmen had gathered and were sitting in a circle around a set of cups.

"Yarr... I wager tonight's dinner on rollin' a 12." Said one crewman who was holding a pair of dice.

"Yer on, mister Leggy! But I raise yer wager to dinner and yer next share o' mead!" Bellowed another.

"Aye, mister Mavs. Ye gotcherself a bet!"

One die was placed in each cup, thrown onto the deck, shifted around rapidly, and then held still one beside the other.

"Now, mister Mavs. Let's see if yer luck be holdin' out taday!"

"Aye, yer on mister Leggy! Show the die!"

The cups were lifted. And the two die read 11.

"HA! Too bad mister Leggy!" Mavs said as he swiped the die.

"Yarr!! I be only a 2 off!"

"1, mister Leggy. Ye been 1 off." Said a third sailor watching nearby.

"We don't need yer maths here mister Hodgens!" Leggy bellowed.

Mavs held the die in an open hand.

"So, lads. Who be wantin' ta bet me their dinner an' mead tanight?"

Korrin after a time watching Tora and Lemnia walking about the ship, observed the game at the forward Mast Deck. Whilst Korrin wasn’t a gambling man, he did enjoy a good dice game every once in awhile. But considering the current wager that was now set out, he realized he might be going to bed without supper should he lose. He loved supper, but he also felt like he needed to do something to make up for brawling with the rest of the crew. So if he lost, oh well. He’d always eat another day.

”Alright, I’ll ante up. My dinner and mead for it being an eight.” He said, knowing he probably used up all his luck last night. But, there was always the chance he didn’t. So, whatever happens next, would be interesting to say the least.

The crew all looked at Korrin in silence for a moment, and then they all smiled.

"Well, if it ain't the hunter and fighter from the other night." Mavs said.

"Ye sure ye wanna bet, boy?" Leggy asked.

”Just plain Korrin will do fellas. I’ve had days without a full meal before. I’m sure. Now as I said, My share of dinner and mead for an eight.” Korrin said as he sat, and waited to see how his luck will pan out.

Mavs tossed the die into the cups.

"Aye. Ye got yerself a bet, mister Hunter."

He slammed the cups down, shuffled them about, and held them still while giving Korrin a smirk.

"I hope ye be ready ta give up yer meal fer real there, boy."

He lifted the cups, and... 3 and 5.

"... Wot?"

"HA!" Leggy laughed. "Looks like the boy won our meals, mister Mavs."

Mavs growled and pushed the die towards Korrin as he stood up and stomped off.

”Well, holy shit. I thought all my luck vanished after last night.” Korrin marveled, just as surprised as Mavs was. He honestly expected to lose. There was no way he was that lucky! ”Cause honestly, I wasn’t thinking on winning.”

As Korrin stood and turned, he was met by two pairs of eyes. One was Lemnia's, looking curiously up at him. The other pair belonged to Cretas, who stood with her arms crossed and a calm, angry glare aimed right at him.

"Momma. What does shit mean?" She asked.

Cretas' chin lowered slightly, and her eyes narrowed on Korrin.

Korrin was now pale, realizing what he told Collen was coming true, in a terrible way. ”Oh no...” he thought, as he made a small audible closed mouth nervous squeak in fear of the hell he just brought upon himself.

At lunch time Collen walked up to Captain's quarters with yet another tray of food. "Your lunch Captain!" He said knocking on the door precisely on time.

"Enter!" Came a sharp, almost shrill response.

Collen swallowed but entered and placed the tray down on his table quietly keeping his head down.

The Captain was facing Collen as he entered the room. Hands behind his back, and a calm, stern frown on his face.

"... Did I give you permission to pass your duties off to that troublemaker from last night?" He asked in a low voice.

Collen was clearly nervous seeing him that stern. "N-no sir."

The Captain's right hand slammed on the desk, shaking it and sending his pen tumbling to the floor.

"Then why did that disrespectful whelp take the dishes in your place?!"

Collen swallowed and backed away slightly. "Uh... I..." his hands clenched as he tried to stop himself from trembling in front of Lohran.

"He asked if he could help me, Captain." Collen looked back up at him.

Lohran's lips curled and pressed tight together, almost disappearing among his mustache and beard as he straightened his posture and took a deep breath through his nose.

"If you want to pass off your duties to someone else, you ask me first." He snarled.

He walked slowly around the desk and stood in front of Collen, glaring down his nose at the boy.

"Is that understood?"

Collen quickly looked back down again as he stood completely still.

"Yes Captain." He said quietly, his hands still clenched.

Lohran's hands relaxed and went to rest behind his back as he walked around the desk and sat down. Pulling his plate and drink in close, he leaned back in his chair.

"Get out of my sight, boy. And I expect to see you retrieve these dishes when I'm done."

Collen nodded and left the room quickly. He was cursing both himself and Korrin as well as Lohran in his mind. He hated this ship.

Rest of the day Collen had spent on his kitchen duty staying as invisible as possible. He kept himself busy with peeling potatoes, fetching Captain’s dishes, bringing his food and doing dishes. He worked without a break and as fast as he could, as the last thing he wanted was the Captain to hear that he was slacking off. And he would never dare to ask him for anything even remotely related to passing on his duties after the day’s events.

The day passed, and as most of the crew were heading below the deck for sleep, the first stars were lighting up on the night sky. Collen walked up on the deck. He needed a moment alone in silence.

“Screw Captain and this stupid ship. Screw that arrogant landlubber.” he muttered under his breath as he walked over to the railing and gave it a slight kick. None of this would have happened if his father hadn't done that stupid deal. And now he was just stuck here with an annoying hunter. He crossed his arms on the railing and rested his head on them as he sighed and watched over the horizon.

“Bet you’re at that shitty tavern again.” The boy spoke to himself as he remembered all the times his father returned home drunk at nightfall. “Do you even miss me?” he whispered but he knew his father certainly didn’t and would just enjoy his shitty life without him. Would even his mother cry if she got a letter saying he had gone missing on the sea? Collen clenched his hands and bit his lip. He wouldn’t cry on this ship.

“Screw all the landlubbers.” he hissed between his teeth.

Tora sat on the beam of the mast all evening after Lemnia finally stopped following him and went to bed with her mother below deck. He felt more at peace here. Clear skies. A bright moon and stars overhead. The breeze blowing through his hair.

It would have been perfect if not for one little detail...

Looking down, he spied Collen muttering to himself. And while he couldn't hear everything perfectly, he heard enough to understand the young man's frustrations.

"Surely you don't truly mean all of us?" He asked.

Letting himself slip off the edge of the beam, he landed on his feet at the base of the mast and calmly walked forward to stand next to the boy.