They walked onto the boat with the Captain talking about- something. She just agreed every now and then so he felt like she was listening. He just liked hearing the sound of his own voice.

The ship was massive, easily twice the size of the one she’d crossed the ocean on before. It was made out of a dark wood that was almost more black than brown aside from where the light touched it. The sails were white, not what Brysys was used to when it came to pirate ships, but maybe that was just in literature. The sailors weren’t dressed like pirates either. They wore plain clothes that looked comfortable, but there was hardly an eyepatch or hook hand among them. How strange.

When they got properly on the deck of the ship she saw Deelah giving orders, mostly just directing crates to one area or another. The sailors would scurry with them out of sight, taking them to some unknown place below.

Xasan nodded to her and when he had her eye he pointed to Brysys and called out. “One!”

Her nod back was shorter and not in the least impressed. “I want four!”

“One is on the way to four!” he called back cheerily before turning back to Brysys. “Deelah is preoccupied. I’ll show you to your room.”

Hopefully he wouldn’t try anything. It didn’t matter to Brysys if she needed to hit him, but it might be tricky leaving with all of his sailors around. She didn’t want collateral damage, even if they were criminals. “Alright.”

They walked in moderate silence through the ship, Xasan giving vague directions as they passed certain corridors. Brysys paid some attention, but mostly tried to settle her stomach as they approached the living areas. She wasn’t very good at being in close quarters with people, she tended to make people angry with her given enough time and having roommates….

Well, she was bound to have at least one, maybe a few, she’d heard of some boats that didn’t have rooms at all, just large open areas with bedrolls along the ground. Maybe she could just turn into an animal and sleep on the mast. That wouldn’t be so bad. 

“Ah! Here we are! These quarters are yours!” Xasan announced it so proudly. “Right next to Deelah’s so if you have any troubles, just bring them to her.”

“She seems to have enough on her plate,” Brysys noted. Did he just tell everyone Deelah would fix their problems? No wonder she was stressed. 

“Nonsense!” He assured her, “Deelah loves fixing problems! She fixes mine all the time!”

“Right.” Problems should be a job for a Captain, but maybe he wasn’t a very good one. He opened the door for her and she stepped into a room that was far too well appointed to be hers. 

There was a trunk for her clothing, big enough to hang things in if she didn’t want to fold them. There was a proper bed, not just a hammock or roll on the ground, even a vanity. When would she ever use that?

At the far side there was a bay window, large on each of its three sides that jutted out twenty feet above the water. She stepped over to it and the bench that was inlaid against it. A cushion of velvet hugged the bench above a lock that dangled down to indicate a secure storage place beneath the seat. “I- how many roommates do I have?”

Xasan laughed. The girl was dazed, and why shouldn’t she be? She was getting one of the better rooms on board the ship, equivalent to Deelah’s, although a bit smaller. It’d be worth it to maintain a proper druid on board. Even the weak ones could summon food and water, something that was invaluable out on the ocean. If they were in for a long voyage, then he wanted to be certain she was comfortable enough to stay. “You can have as many as you like. I’m not one to judge.” He hooked a thumb towards the wall. “They’re well insulated, but try not to keep Deelah up all night.”

“I don’t understand,” Bryn turned slowly to face him, distrust etched into her forehead. “What exactly am I intended to do here?”

Good. It was good that she didn’t trust easily. None of them should. Herramian naval forces weren't known for their mental prowess, but it only took one loose tongue to put every pirate on a ship in danger. “You have to be our druid. Those are hard to come by on the ocean, you know. We’ll discuss your role further once you’ve settled in.” He waved a hand around the space, “And you had some questions for me too that we can answer at the same time.”

“Once we’re out on the ocean and I can’t go anywhere?” Bryn was quick. He liked that too. Hopefully he could get her on his side sooner rather than later.

“Well, if you’re in a hurry then I can put aside my own duties. We can discuss them now. I just thought dinner might be more convenient.”

“I don’t care about your convenience.” That was too harsh. She could feel it immediately. “I don’t like the idea of not knowing what’s going on.” She could always leave. The ocean wasn’t going to keep her here, and if she had an unattended window then she could be gone in a moment, but this wasn’t a safe situation. She needed some clarity.

Xasan sighed and squinted off at nothing. “Well, why don’t we adjourn to the Captain’s quarters and I can answer your more pressing questions? I will, however, need to leave you for a little while once we’re underway. Despite popular belief I do some work around here.” He paused and assured her in a rush. “Not much, as little as I can, really. Only enough to still seem important. You understand.”

“Your quarters?” Bryn eyed him suspiciously. “Why not here?”

Xasan grinned. “In your bedroom? Where would you care to sit? On your bed? Together on the window seat perhaps?”

Brysys glanced around the room and conceded his point. It was spacious for one person, but cozy for two. They’d need to interfere with one another’s personal space if they stayed here, or sit on opposite sides, but it would be strange to have either of them on the bed. “What about on the decks?” A large open space seemed much more appealing.

He nodded. “We could, although they’re busy at the moment. Sailors back and forth, people to overhear. Less comfortable as well.” Xasan furrowed his brow and looked Brysys over before asking. “What do you think I’m planning on doing to you?”

She shook her head. She wasn’t expecting him to ask and now it felt awkward to explain. “I don’t- The way you speak to people seems sexual, and you offered me a place here without knowing anything about me. I assumed you wanted to sleep with me.”

Xasan nodded along while she spoke. When he responded his tone was still conversational, not affronted like she feared it would be. “Well, yes, that is how I speak. I didn’t recall speaking that way to you in particular. Much. Far less than many, in fact. Actually, you should probably be insulted that I didn't try to flirt with you more.” He waved a hand to silence himself and then continued. “You don’t need to worry about me. I have plenty of willing partners, possibly too many. Sometimes they can’t take turns, it’s cumbersome-” He stopped himself again. “My point is, that I invited you here, and gave you these quarters because I understand the sort of power you wield is invaluable. Even if you aren't particularly powerful right now you will be, and I am a man who understands the importance of investments.”

Brysys was very good at reading people, even if she wasn’t very good at speaking to them. She could always tell they were upset, but she never knew what to say to make it better. So it felt good to hear him speak on the matter, to know that he didn’t feel the need to pursue her, that he had his own partners, that he just wanted her there for her magical abilities. “I’m very powerful.” Might as well let him know that from the start.

He smiled patiently. “Good.”

He was humoring her. She didn’t have to prove it right now, that could come in time. If she needed to scrub decks or whatever else then she was equipped for that too. She didn’t mind labor. “And- thank you, for your reassurance.” Maybe she’d jumped to conclusions, but some men, especially ones who fancied themselves powerful- well, she’d grown up in a bar. She knew that people could let their baser urges get them into trouble. “It’s not that you aren’t attractive in your way-”

“You’re not very sexual, I understand.”

“Oh, no,” it was almost comical how vastly he’d misunderstood her. “I’m actually quite slutty. I just- well, I have a type and you don’t fit it. I’m not racist or anything! I just prefer elves you see-”

“Ahh,” Xasan considered acting offended, but it was clear that they didn’t know each other well enough to joke that way. Only being attracted to one race did seem rather prudish to him, but he wasn’t one to belittle others preferences. Besides, he appreciated her candor. It grew so tiresome always looking for hidden meaning when someone was speaking. Bryss just said whatever popped into her head.

“And if I’m honest I don’t usually tend to speak with people once I sleep with them, so it could be awkward afterwards.”

He chuckled at that. He’d been discouraged in his youth from sleeping with the crew for similar reasons, but the sea was a lonely place and most sailors accepted that their preferences on land had no place there. Maybe she’d figure that out, and maybe she wouldn’t, but it didn’t make a difference to him so long as she did her job. “So you plan on avoiding sex with any of the crew?” He clarified.

“That’s my intention.” She seemed resolute and like the sort of woman who stuck to her convictions. He gave it a month.

Anyway, better not to speak of his skepticism. “Well, now that we have that cleared up. My quarters?”

She nodded, more at ease now that she’d been able to read his reaction. He struck her as a good liar, but she trusted her own instincts. They hadn’t led her astray in a long time. “Very well. Let’s go to your room.”