First Mate Ivy had its ring, but the clamor of the title had lost its appeal rather quickly. She had known a few things about being a pirate, but as it turned out, she did not know how to lead the ship.

Most nights before the turn, she slept soundly, thanking the universe for giving her such a gift. But these nights, she lay awake, hearing Captain Bill's last words to her. Regardless of what he said, and regardless of her own progress, he was right. And now, as she found herself thinking about it, and contemplating who she had become, she found herself kneeling on the ship floor more than once.

She didn't used to believe in any higher power. Since the catalyst ten years ago, religions had become rarer and rarer. Not because people believed that religion made anyone a bad person, but because the events had rendered many myths useless. Of course, Ivy knew there were still many who would cling to the old ways. She herself was that kind of person. She often told her parents, in the old days, that no matter what, she would always ask for help from the god above. Little did she know that she would fail such a blunder.

As she walked the ship, she carried her head high. Still training with Captain Pedro, she worked hard. Who knew that with a week on the ship, she would learn as much as she did. And yet, Ivy knew that it wasn't enough. She still had to learn how to be a regular crew member, let alone the first mate.

The day after she turned into the first mate, she chose to polish one of the escape ships. In looking at it, she glanced at the shore. Her life here, as she had known it, had been something she had prided herself in. Little did she know it would likely come crashing down. Of course, she knew there were a lot of things she would have to do in order to escape. But as she stared at them, looking them in the face, she knew she had missed something important. And now, as she looked at the man, and as she looked at the people around her, doing their daily tasks, she knew there was something she had been missing.

If she were to fail, Ivy vowed she would do her best to escape. In recovering her magic, she did her best to keep herself from using it.

"Hey," Another crew member turned to her. His name was Ivan. "First mate Ivy, it is a pleasure to work alongside you. Very rarely do our captains ever do such tasks. You are the first one to consider it, if that seems strange."

"It's not," Ivy said. She looked at him politely.

"I suppose I should welcome you," the crewmate said, his face turning dark.

"I should thank you," Ivy said. "but to what do I owe this interaction, may I ask?"

"I want to ask you for your blessing," the crewmate said. "I have long wanted to find my place as the third mate, considering anyone could become the ship's captain."

"Well, if you believe that, then I suppose you have a lot to learn," Ivy said. "I killed for this role."

"I'm sure you'll kill again," Ivan said. "Did Captain Pedro ever tell you that he began threatening crewmates again?"

"No," Ivy said.

"He means to kill us," Ivan said. "All of us."

Ivy glanced over her shoulder. She wanted to believe that it wasn't really true, that Captain Pedro wouldn't kill his own crew mates. After all, from her short time aboard the ship, she had learned that honor played a role in politics. But even still, as she contemplated the possibility of it, she turned over to Ivan.

"If he does it again, let me know," Ivy said. She crossed her arms and perched against the ship's keep. "I will not punish him, but I will set him up so he ends up being discovered for his potential crimes."

"Thank you," Ivan said. He gave her a nod, then turned away, slipping downstairs.

Ivy turned back to the main area, glancing around at the others. She looked over at her potential companions, looking for one person. Captain Pedro had been acting strange lately; she had to give her crewmates credit for that. But there was something wrong about the situation. As if she were pushed into a situation where she would be making a wrong decision either way.

Ivy found Captain Pedro pouring over a map, with a bottle in his other hand. Ivy gave a gentle bow. "And a good day to you, sir."

Captain Pedro scoffed. "What's with the politeness here?"

Ivy squirmed. She shouldn't have come across so strong. But as she looked up at the man, she gave a polite smile. "Well, I should hope you would appreciate it here."

"Oh, I do," Captain Pedro said, narrowing his gaze. "I always appreciate it when my crew members show respect. But I am afraid your respect has come across wrong."

"I didn't mean it like that," Ivy said. She flushed, and then she turned to the map. She noted the next port town on the list. "Is that our next raid?"

"Indeed," Captain Pedro said. "It should be a few days before we reach it, as it's at the southern edge of the isle. But we should find lots of gold. This also means you will need to train a lot heavier over the next few days."

"Listen," Ivy said. "How have you been since you became the ship's Captain? How has the crew been?"

"They don't respect me like they should," Captain Pedro said. He turned to the bottle of his, emptied out the last drop of the drink, and then placed it in a small bin with other dead bottles nearby. "I have the badge of the captain, which I should, but I don't have the authority Captain Val had."

"I see," Ivy said. She turned and pushed herself to the edge of the room. "Well, if you need anything, I am always here to support you."

Her voice, and her promises, felt wrong. She had been this type of person in the old world, where she played her friends, asked them for help, and then double crossed them in the end. Lately, as she found herself aboard this ship, she felt as though she had missed something. She had become a type of person she had used to hate so many years ago.

And yet, this was her chance. This was her plot to try and save her crew mates. Because at this point, as the first mate of her ship, if anyone died due to Captain Pedro's commands, it would be her folly as well. He had played her, but she had provided the means for him to usurp Captain Bill.

She found another crew mate she rarely ever talked to. The woman's name was Perry. She had a subtle lilt in her voice, and she had a face which made her almost sultry. And yet, with the guns at her side, there was something about her appearance which made Ivy flush. Not that she wanted this woman. Ivy, as the first mate, would not date one of her crew mates. Not when there was a lot of danger associated with that. That would be one of her bigger blunders, and she had made a few thus far.

"Perry," Ivy said. "May I please get your opinion on Captain Pedro?"

Perry turned to her, looking up from the floors she had scrubbed. Ivy gave her a subtle grin. Perry stood to attention, before Ivy waved her away.

"Well, he has quite a temper," Perry said. "He doesn't have one with you, but he has one with everyone else."

"I mean, has he not seen my short hair?" Ivy asked.

"You would think he has," Perry said. "But no. He has not picked up on the fact that every time you have blushed, it has been because of a woman. Whether it was Captain Val, or even Queen Lavender."

"Hey!" Ivy said.

Perry gave her a wry smile. "I mean, come on. Look at the way you bribed us to get away from Queen Lavender."

"I tried to kill her," Ivy said. "That was our only meeting. And she threatened me as well."

"Such a tragedy, really," Perry said. "Realizing you may have fumbled a romantic opportunity."

"It wasn't romance I was interested if I saw her like that," Ivy said. "It was something else entirely."

"Oh," Perry said, giving a teasing look. "And I saw how you looked at Captain Val when she was alive."

"That's true at least," Ivy said. "The last time I dated someone, well. I think I fumbled that relationship, too. I lost everything, and then I told her I wasn't good enough for her."

"Where's your confidence, first mate?" Perry said, punching Ivy on the shoulder.

"Oh," Ivy said. "You see, that's not why I am here. I am all for acknowledging the fact that I did fancy Captain Val, but I do not want to discuss any personal biases I might have toward Queen Lavender."

"Shame," Perry said.

"I swore an oath," Ivy said, giving a light look. She knew that any other first mate would have chastised Perry. But there was something refreshing about the playfulness in the woman's eye. But Ivy was not that kind of first mate. She glanced over at Perry, then spoke. "I still have it in my mind to kill Queen Lavender and take her place. I ended the king in my last realm. I will do the same to her, regardless of any feelings I have." 

"Shame," Perry said. "A shame on those oaths, then."

"Regardless," Ivy said. "If Captain Pedro acts funny around you, or any of the other crew members, please tell me. I have abilities he could only dream of possessing; and I will not hesitate to use them should he look at another crewmate funny without good reason."

"Perry nodded. "I mean, he hasn't done anything yet, but he has threatened."

"Look at how he threatened Captain Bill before we overtook the position," Ivy said. "I mean, is it wrong to want to protect the rest of this crew in case he goes on a rampage?"

"So you regret taking out Captain Bill?" Perry asked.

"Not really," Ivy said. "I mean, I know I should. For most people, they hesitate around stuff like this. Regardless, we have to keep our head on our shoulders. Mostly because there's a void where a strong captain should be. I have been in this situation before. The power struggle aboard this ship is going to become quite a problem if we don't deal with it. And if I kill someone in power, I keep their heads as a personal trophy."

Perry narrowed her eyes. "Then maybe you should become the ship's captain."

"Not right now," Ivy said. "I can't. I still have a lot to learn about being a sharpshooter, and I have a lot to learn about how to use my sword."

"Yet you have more support from the people aboard this ship than either Captain Bill or Captain Pedro."

The ship is still in chaos, and despite the fact that I am still new here, I feel drawn to the title of captain still, on the grounds that I wish to change things. Am I qualified? No. I still have a history of abandoning my friends when they needed me most. With all of my blunders, I don't think I am qualified to be the ship's captain. And we cannot risk another conflict aboard this ship because someone incompetent decided they were the captain.