“Weigh anchor! We’re awash astern! Beaching on the port side!” The captain bellowed from the top deck, his golden scales glistening in the midday sun. He cut a lean figure in black finery, one hand on the tiller and the other near his blade. He looked out over his crew as they worked on the decks below.

“Impressive,” murmured the dry voice of his first mate from beside him. “You manage to get every single one of those wrong.”

Sharp teeth flashed in a grin when he turned to look at her, abandoning the wheel to someone who knew how to work it. “I am impressive, thank you for noticing.” 

“You’ve lived on a boat your whole life, Silver Tongue. You’d think you’d have learned some of the terms by accident.”

He laughed and strode towards the stairs which would lead them to the main deck. None of the men had listened to his shouting, continuing on with their work as normal. “My sailing instructor used to say that lines could be taut, but I couldn’t!” His ever present grin flashed a bit wider towards his first mate, “I think he just wasn’t providing the right motivation.”

“Aye,” she agreed in her ever derogatory way, “you learned plenty from the siren, didn’t you?”

“Motivation is everything!” He agreed. Xasan reached the stairs and danced down them, doing a small flourish at the end before offering his hand up towards his second.

Deelah ignored the hand and walked down the stairs normally. She rarely humored him in the best circumstances, and certainly not in front of the crew. “Maybe you need to be motivated by more than a pretty set of eyes? Hmm?”

“Then how would you get me to do anything?” He tutted at her as she completed her descent and they fell into step beside each other. “Besides, commanding the sailors is your job! I wouldn’t want to leave you bored, Deelah.”

“Oh yes, that would be tragic. Time to myself? Terrible.” She didn’t break her stride or her statement. “I might have to pick up a hobby, or get enough sleep for once. Thank you, Captain, for saving me from that cruel cruel fate.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied easily, as though he hadn’t noticed the sarcasm rich in her tone. This banter was easy for them. He knew that if she needed time to herself that she’d ask, and she knew that if she asked him for anything he’d give it to her. He also knew that she got lost in her own mind at times, fear of losing herself as her mother had, even though they’d taken measures to prevent it. Having work to do kept her focused. It was a delicate balance.

She gave a beleaguered sigh and turned to give actual commands to a few crewmates. They hustled away to do her bidding. When she turned her attention back to Xasan his expression had grown darker, a sure sign that he was plotting something. “What is it now?”

“Hmm? Nothing.” Deelah continued to look at him, unimpressed with the lie. He wasn’t impressed by it either, it wasn't well constructed or thought out, just reflex. “I’m sorry, you deserve a better fib than that. I’ll put more effort into them in the future.”

Deelah rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes, that’s exactly what I want. You read my mind.” Xasan veered towards his quarters and she followed him, well aware that she’d get an explanation in private. In the meantime, she’d continue giving him hell because that’s what the crew was used to seeing, and she’d hate to disappoint them. “I want you to lie to me better.”

Xasan pointed a finger around to their invisible audience. “You all heard it! That’s exactly what she wants!”

“Tone is completely lost on you, is it?”

Xasan made a rude noise in the back of his throat at the question. “What’s a- tune, you said? Ton? Tawn? Anway, when are you promoting me to gold? My tongue has labored so…”

Deela scoffed as Xasan opened the door to his chambers for her. “You’re lucky I haven’t demoted you to bronze. That thing does about as much harm as good.”

Their conversation paused as Xasan shut the door behind them. He went immediately around the conference table, around to the bar cart that stood proudly beside a grand fireplace that remained unlit. There was a comfortable chair and settee set up to entertain overtop a rug made out of some fantastic beast’s fur, but Deelah went neither to the table nor in front of the fireplace. She strode confidently past the public area of Xasan’s quarters and behind a screen that separated his meeting area from his bedroom. 

She walked around his lavish bed to the wall of windows that overlooked where the ship was sailing and stood there watching the ocean from the comfort of inside. Xasan brought her a whiskey and they stood there a long moment sipping the liquor and staring at the ocean. 

“You know,” Deelah murmured after some time, “sometimes people ask if I wouldn’t rather have a ship of my own, and I always tell them, ‘Not a chance.’ But when I see this view…”

“Well, you’re welcome to it any time,” Xasan replied. His lips curled, revealing sharp teeth as he added, “It’s especially beautiful at sunrise.”

“Well I’ll be sure to wake you when I come view it then, and whoever you’ve got in there too.” Her head slung back briefly towards the bed as Xasan chuckled. This was easier than sincerity. It was easier than mentioning what weighed on his mind. So they stood there a while longer until Deelah prompted him, “You know some of us have work to do…”

Not like she needed to be there for it. The crew, for all their faults, were very competent. Deelah hadn’t known much about privateering before being talked on to this blasted ship, but it didn’t take long for her to realize Xasan’s fathers were major players in the pirating world. When he received his own command there were sailors lining up to join the crew.

Granted, she hadn’t actually known anything about sailing then, and while Xasan often feigned ignorance of the things he excelled in- sailing wasn’t one of them. She’d needed to learn quickly to keep face in front of the veterans. Xasan still didn’t have a clue.

“I’ll need you in the other room.” He didn’t elaborate, and his jovial demeanor was gone. Whatever this was, he was nervous about it. Deelah followed him. She wanted to make a smart remark, but she knew it wouldn’t get a response anyway.

He finished his drink and went to pour another, gesturing the bottle towards her, but she declined. It was fine stuff, but he’d been heavy handed on her first glass and she wasn't even half done with it.

“Hazel found something,” he still faced away from her, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.

“Good for Hazel.” Was that supposed to impress her? The scribe was always looking into one thing or another. They barely saw her on the decks. Deelah was fairly certain Xasan had set her bed up in the library. 

“She found the schematics.”

“What?” Her stomach fell. He’d been looking for them for years now, but she figured they’d been lost to time. 

“How do you feel about that?” Xasan found the courage to turn around and look at her. Getting Deelah to join the crew had been a challenge and a half. She was as stubborn as she was capable, so he hadn’t given up on it, but it had taken time and bribes. He didn’t want to lose her over this, but it was important. He needed something to set himself apart.

She didn’t look happy. She never looked happy, but even less so than usual. “You know how I feel about that.” Didn’t even try to lighten the mood with an insult. This might take real effort.

“I need this Deelah.” They’d talked about it. He’d even been honest with her, painfully honest, in that way that neither of them really appreciated in the morning because when one bares their soul it can’t be covered up again.

“Or you could get over your Daddy issues and just be a good pirate. We have plenty going for us! We’re great at our jobs, and our crew is one of the best around, even with the loafers.”

“What? What loafers?”

She rolled her eyes and he relaxed a little, glad to have their usual rapport back for a moment. “Terry is useless.” It’s easier this way, hiding behind jabs and playful ribbing. Confronting the truth was never comfortable. He didn’t like it, and he didn’t think she did either. 

“Terry is invaluable.”

“No. He isn’t.” She barely paused before turning the conversation back to the matter at hand. “If you want to throw away time and lives on a fool's errand-”

“Deelah.”

“Then I can’t stop you. But I don't have to-”

“Deelah.”

“Next stop at Trove we can disembark-”

“Deelah.”

Xasan stepped forward, closer than he ever would have in front of their crew. “I need this, and I can’t do it without you.”

She met his eyes for a long hard moment before looking away with a sigh. “Yeah, I know you can’t.” Deelah groaned and met his gaze, but softer this time. “How long do you think it’ll take to get over the air sickness?”

Xasan grimaced. “Given how long it took you to get over your seasickness?” 

“Right. Well, you’ll need a bigger crew, and more capable combatants.” She was all business now. Once Deelah made up her mind to do something it got done. Period. Xasan tried not to let his excitement show over her change of heart, but his demeanor had lifted too much for him to hide it, especially from her. 

“Our men are all capable.”

“No, not just with a sword,” Deelah corrected. “If we’re going into ancient ruins and unexplored areas then I want people who are capable like us, not ones who have just trained against merchants and the like.”

  That made a lot of sense. Deelah had always been the practical sort. He much preferred extravagance where he could. It was far more comfortable. “More adventurers. Good. I can do that. What else will you need?”

She sighed and finished off her drink. “I mean it. Capable adventurers, and at least four of them. Supplies? Where is it you’re dragging us off to? Can’t plan for what I don’t know, now can I?”

“Well I don’t know either, so we’ll have plenty of time to plan for all that.”

That look. That dangerous, sexy look meant that Xasan needed to be extra careful with his next words. He smiled, in that disarming way he’d practiced. “She found the next piece, she didn’t finish the puzzle.”

“What exactly did she find?” Deela spoke slowly, like Xasan was a small child who needed very explicit instructions. 

“A name,” he supplied, “one that can be traced back through lineage. She’s in the process of doing that now! In the next few days we should have a place to go.”

It would have to be good enough. There was a fine line between giving Deelah enough warning for her to be prepared, and calling her in to get her worked up over nothing. They’d followed plenty of dead ends already, but Xasan had a good feeling about this one. 

“A few days.” Deelha nodded. “Aye, and in that time we’ll be at port, so if it’s somewhere unpleasant, I can just disembark then.” She turned and strode out of the room, deaf to his protests. 

He’d just need to find a convincing enough reason for her to stay. That was fine. He didn’t mind a project.