Out on deck, Saul and Ancus were finished setting the sails. Seemingly having no other work to do, they'd settled themselves atop a couple of barrels with a crate between them. Saul held a wooden cup in his weathered hand.

Gambling? Iliana guessed with a shake of her head. Of course they are.

"I thought you gave that up," she called over. "Back when Kain outed you ten silvers and a ruby you swore you were done."

"That were las' week," Saul declared. "This is today! Survive a storm and life gets new rules."

Iliana looked to Ancus.

"He realized he has no drinking money for when we dock," he explained.

"Ah," she mused. "Makes sense."

"I'm sayin' that's no' it! I jus' though'... yea, I jus' though' we'd pass sum time is all."

"Sure, sure," Iliana agreed. "Whatever you say, old man."

"Why you..." Saul began.

"Are you going to throw or not?" Ancus demanded.

Saul swore under his breath, glancing between the two of them. The furrowed knit of his brow--as if he were wondering who to deal with first--prompted a laugh from her lips. Seeming to come to a decision, he let out a world weary sigh and shook the cup.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm throwin'..."

Refocusing her attention on the task at hand, Iliana turned her gaze to the crow's nest. There was no need to watch the game. She held no doubt Ancus would come complaining later about Saul wiping him out. Kain could normally beat both of them with one hand tied behind his back, but no one could top Saul when a drink was at stake.

Pushing such matters to the back of her mind, she tucked the compass and scope into her pocket. Once certain they wouldn't come tumbling out when she climbed up, Iliana crossed the deck.

"Hey, Kain!" she called, cocking her head back in an attempt to spot him. "You alive?"

No answer.

"I'm coming up!"

After placing the map down the front of her billowy, dirt-gray shirt, Iliana seized the ladder and started climbing. At the top she paused, eyes landing on the dozing figure before her. Kain's head rested just beneath the railing. At some point during the day he'd bothered to get dressed, pulling on a loose white shirt and a leather jerkin.

She wasn't surprised at all to see that he'd exchanged his soaked cap for a dry one of the same color and style. Not once in the three years they'd traveled together had she seen Kain's hair. Iliana liked to believe that perhaps he was going bald prematurely. He had never denied the idea when she teased him, only further solidifying it in her mind. If her respect for his privacy hadn't outweighed her curiosity, Iliana would have cleared the issue up long ago.

Well, none of that mattered right now.

Careful not to wake him, Iliana dropped herself into the nest. He shifted slightly, mumbling something under his breath, but didn't open his eyes.

"He asleep?" Ancus yelled up.

"Of course."

She studied Kain's sleeping form. For a single second, Iliana considered leaning down and tapping his shoulder while saying his name. It'd be the kind way to wake him.

Iliana settled for a swift kick.

Kain jerked awake with a yelp that was followed by a series of swears. His hand soothed where her foot had connected. At the same time, he blinked a few times, squinting in her direction. Then, he scowled.

"Can't you wake someone with at least a little bit of ladylike grace?" Kain grumbled.

Thankfully, he was awake enough to make sure his words were too soft to be heard on deck. Still, she shot him a frown and roll of her eyes.

"Why should I? How many times has this happened now?"

"Hm..."

He made a show of counting his fingers, and Iliana laughed. The way he furrowed his brow and pursed his lips created a look of such utter concentration that she couldn't help herself--as he'd no doubt known would be the case. After a moment, he dropped his hands with a shrug.

"I give up. It's not like it's my fault. I'm a night-owl! I focus best under the moon, you know that. If the others were up, I'd be the one getting in his bunk."

He wasn't wrong. Only unusual circumstances pushed Kain into being posted as the day watch. Like with his hair, she'd never managed to squeeze the cause of his functioning ten times better at night out of him. The reason for the switch this time was that while Iliana and Kain had spent the rest of the storm below deck, the others that'd secured the sails and been left running back and forth doing whatever odd job asked of them. It was only reasonable that they'd been given the first breaks.

"Still, Artemios wants you awake and checking the horizon."

At the questioning look she was sent, Iliana pulled out the items she'd been given. Her carrying spot for the map earned her a raised brow, but nothing else.

"He thinks we might have gotten off course. I was told to hand these off to you and tell you to watch for any sign of where we are."

"Which would be what, exactly?" Kain asked. "All we've got around us is ocean, Iliana. Staring at water isn't going to give me coordinates."

She sighed and unrolled the map. It only took her a second to spot and point out the position Artemios had shown her.

"He's guessing we're here. Which would mean that you should be able to see one of these," Iliana gestured towards the islands, "within the day, I'd imagine."

Kain studied the map before nodding. "Guess that makes sense. I'll keep an eye out."

"Good," she replied. "Try not to fall back asleep while you're at it."

That said, she swung back over the rail. The sooner she was done with her work, the sooner she could sleep.

"Wait," Kain requested, scrambling to his feet. "I just realized... if we're there... that means we've got less than a week left, right?"

Iliana paused. "Yeah."

So, he did know.

"Right... and you're... you're done when it's up, right?"

"Yeah..." she said again, furrowing her brow. "Why?"

Kain seemed to hesitate for a moment before giving a shake of his head. He dropped the map to the floor of the crow's nest and rested his hands against the rail behind him.

"I... well... come back in a bit, won't you? When those two are done."

Kain nodded his head towards Ancus and Saul. It was Iliana's turn to hesitate.

"I've got something I want to talk about," Kain added.

No was on the tip of her tongue, but the pleading edge to his expression made her pause. Gods, he knew just what buttons to push. She groaned.

"Fine. But it better be worth it."

Kain beamed. "Don't worry! I swear by Umae's name, it'll be worth it. Just you wait." 

¸.•*¨*•.¸♪¸.•*¨*•.¸♥¸.•*¨*•.¸

Hours passed as Iliana mended the nets. By the time the last frayed thread was secured into place with whipping twine, the sun had begun to fall. The fading light cast growing shadows over the abandoned deck. Moments like this were part of why she'd never regret her choice of crawling out of the gutters of Ephi. If she hadn't stowed away, sights like this would've been forever out of her grasp.

Iliana was enthralled.

No matter how long she sailed, the sunset would always steal her breath. There was a certain timeless beauty in the way the dying rays cast colors over the sea's rippling waves. The peaceful lap of water against the sides of the ship was enough to lure anyone into tranquility. Gods, if only she could find the words to explain the feeling to Artemios.

She didn't need a week to decide where she belonged. The very air itself seemed to call her name, telling her to make a life where the sea was her home. The faintest breeze played with her hair, casting the rough locks away from her eyes as she closed her eyes for just a moment. She tilted her face towards the fading light, enjoying the peace that filled her.

Some part of her wanted to stay seated until the entire scene had disappeared. Until the chill of the moonlit sea began to set into her bones, reminding her of her warm bunk. Most of her body echoed agreement. Exhaustion weighed on her limbs, reminding her of the frailty of this peace. After all, the main reason she was so tired laid in the tantrum the sea had thrown their way only a night ago.

She had a promise to keep, however. And the absence of other life on the deck meant it was time to keep it. Suppressing a groan, Iliana dragged herself to her feet and started for the nest's ladder.

When she dropped down next to Kain this time, he was far from asleep. In fact, he appeared frustratingly refreshed. Rather than curled up against the railing, he stood with his arms sprawled over the top of it. Despite her annoyance, Iliana couldn't help but note how... him, the view felt. Shadowed by the darkening sky, with his dark eyes focused on something unseen in the horizon. Her heart ached.

Why did time have to threaten this? Every fiber of Iliana's being clung to the memory of Artemios' offer. This week wouldn't be the last time they watched the sunset together. As she cemented that certainty in her unsettled thoughts, Kain turned his attention to her.

"You remembered," he said with a smile.

She nodded. Feeling as if a verbal response would take entirely too much energy, Iliana settled for dropping herself down next to him. Her head rested against the weathered wood, eyes settling on his face.

Kain laughed. "Sorry for keeping you up."

"It's no problem." She shrugged. "You're heading in soon, anyways, aren't you?"

"Nah," Kain said, shaking his head. "I convinced Captain to let me stay on for the night. My schedule would get thrown even further off if I went to sleep now."

"I see."

Silence fell between them following her reply. Despite having claimed he had something to talk about, Kain seemed content to stand next to her without a word. Iliana didn't mind it all that much, if she was honest. It was soothing. Just his presence eased the churning worries plaguing her mind. She yawned.

"I don't mind if you fall asleep up here," he said. "I can wake you when I retire. You just have to promise you won't complain about back pain tomorrow."

"Deal," she muttered, letting her eyes fall shut.

Once again, a comfortable quiet took over them. After several minutes had passed, however, Iliana began to pick up on the sound of Kain shifting from one foot to the other, then back again. She sighed.

"What is it?"

"I... uh, was the course the only thing Captain wanted to talk about earlier?"

The faint memory of Artemios mentioning a money pot contributed to by the rest of the crew flickered through her mind. She'd had her suspicions, but Kain most definitely knew the answer to his question. Iliana cocked an eye open, glancing up at his hesitant expression.

"No."

"I see..." Kain muttered, allowing his voice to trail off for a moment. He then cursed, shifted his weight once again, and tugged his hat down with both hands. "I... well, are you gonna take it?"

His line of thought was obvious, but Kain looked so uncomfortable with the conversation she couldn't help herself.

"Take what?"

"The money..." he muttered after a few seconds. "I mean, well, it's not the money I'm wondering about. It's the leaving... Captain told me he'd let you stay if you wanted. What're you going to do?"

Iliana rose a brow as she opened her other eye. Had Artemios been right about Kain's reluctance for her to leave? The idea loosened something within her she hadn't realized was tense. Whereas the rest of the crew had become her family over the last three years, Kain was something more. There wasn't a label for their relationship that felt right. Friend was too simple a term, brother too light given they were all related in that way that existed beyond blood.

If Kain was against her staying, she wasn't sure she would be able to overcome it.

"I haven't decided yet," she said.

"You haven't?" Kain echoed, eyes widening. "You can't be serious."

Iliana frowned. "I mean, I probably will, but Artemios said to wait and think about it when we reached Eol."

"But you're a girl," he pressed. "You know that, right?"

"I had no idea," she deadpanned.

"I'm being serious, Iliana," Kain replied, no hint of his usual amusement to be heard. "You're a girl. Girls aren't merchants."

"You're talking superstition now?" she demanded. Her stomach curled into knots.

"Well, yeah. What do you think'll happen when the others find out? I might be fine with it, but that's me. The others are older. I doubt they're gonna ignore the whole deal about women being bad luck. Even Captain would have a fit if he knew you've been hiding it this whole time... he's pretty traditional, you know? Old school. The type that believes a girl and guy shouldn't room together before marriage. You've been living with us in the bunk since you got caught stowing away. Gods, it's how I found out you were a girl."

Iliana's hands formed fists in her lap as he spoke, eyes narrowing into thin slits. It appeared Artemios had been dead wrong about Kain's feelings. Hurt warred with anger. It bubbled hot in her chest, erasing her thoughts of familial ties.

"So, what you're saying is that you want me to leave."