An hour later, the twins found themselves on the deck, where the smell of grilled fish and rice wafted through the air. The deck was dimly lit by a few lanterns placed in the corners, a few near where the people were eating. The sunset was the view that the people on the ship witnessed, the slow setting of the sun into the water, which made the atmosphere more lively than earlier. Boisterous laughs were heard across the deck, the hard wooden floor creaked once in a while, and the smell of the sea only reinforced the atmosphere. 

"There you are! Fish or rice? Both? Bread? What would you two want to eat?" Silas smiled as he led them to the baskets of roasted fish, bread and rice. Silas looked down at the twins, who were salivating at the sight.

The two siblings simply stared at the food for a moment before a wooden plate of fish and bread was shoved towards them, and a mug of mulled wine was handed to them. The two looked at the plate of food and then the person who nonchalantly handed it to them, 

"Thank you, Harris." Liv smiled, and Andy nodded and smiled back at the man. "No problem! My children love these. I'm sure you two might enjoy them as well." He nodded and rushed back to one of the lanterns, where men who looked to be of a similar age as him were seated in a circle; laughter and loud conversation were heard from their corner. 

The twins had found themselves a quiet corner, whereas Kei was being fed by everyone on deck. Little pieces of seasoned grilled fish were given to him before someone decided that he should have his own plate. Kei had shifted himself to look like a cat and sat patiently before an empty plate. A moment passed before an unseasoned grilled fish was laid before him. 

The colours of the sky had shifted from amber to shades of crimson, a tapestry being woven into nature itself. The bright star slowly drifted into the sea's gentle embrace, its counterpart rising from the other side. 

"Hear this!" A loud voice from the ship's mast had gathered the attention of everyone on deck; the chatter had silenced. Cynthia stood with a mug of mulled wine and took a giant gulp before continuing, 

"Tomorrow, early afternoon, we will be entering the waters of Wallens, if the passage from here on out is smooth with no obstacles! Prepare yourself for the checkpoint; if anything illegal is in any of our cargoes, either on purpose or by accident, come clean now, or suffer the consequences later. Besides that, good work, men. All your efforts will be paid once we reach shore!" She proclaimed. Beside her stood Silas, who simply raised his mug and yelled, 

"To our captain and her good luck!" The crew cheered with them, and the atmosphere had shifted to one more energetic and happier.

"To the captain!" The crew roared back in unison. Amongst the cheers, a voice shouted out, "Does that luck stretch out to a home-cooked dinner at our captain's expense?" The moment it was said, the noisy group had all begged Cynthia for a meal at her expense. The captain simply laughed before responding, "Alright! You'd better look nice!" Cheers erupted amongst the men.

Liv turned to look at her brother, who swayed where he stood, his mug of wine empty; her mug, on the other hand, looked untouched. Lysander's eyes were glossed over, his posture swayed once, then twice, and a stupid smile was plastered on his face. He was drunk on a mug of mulled wine. Liv realised it instantly and got her brother to sit down on the wooden flooring; his eyes were droopy, the smile still present, before his eyes shut. 

"Liv.. there's two of you." He drawled a stupid smile on his face, "I really like the bread here.." Liv laughed when she heard that, "You like the dry bread?" She leaned on her knees. "Very much." Andy giggled.

"You know, for this being the first time you're drinking. You can't handle your liquor." She sighed and stood over her brother, who seemed like he was exactly where he wanted to be. Liv ran a hand through her hair, and her already loose braid fell into golden waves across her back. For a moment, she contemplated what to do with her drunk brother. 

"Well, this is interesting," Cynthia spoke from behind her. She smirked in amusement; the mug of wine was replaced with a bottle of beer, her silver hair was tied up into a bun, and she knelt to poke Andy's cheek twice. The boy had drifted off into sleep and sat there unaware of what was happening around him. 

"He's drunk," Liv stated, pinching her nose bridge for a moment, before she decided to leave him there for a while, hoping that he'd sober himself up. 

"Hmm, well, that's obvious. I've never heard of someone getting drunk on wine," she laughed and took a swig of the beer. Liv sighed and took a bite of the fish that she had kept aside, 

"Captain, how long until he sobers up?" she asked and knelt beside Cynthia, who turned to her and hummed as if she was in thought.

"For someone of his height and age, maybe two hours? But then again, it differs from person to person," she sighed, and gestured to one of the men to haul Lysander back to his room. The man carried Lysander with extreme gentleness, and his arm hung down; his other arm was folded over his chest; his head was seated in a manner which could only be described as elegant. 

"Why does he look like a princess?" Liv mumbled to herself, but it wasn't quiet enough. Cynthia laughed and leaned against the railing, her back facing the sea.

"So, where do you want to live? Do you have preferences?" she asked. Liv stood beside Cynthia, facing the sea, her back to the crew's festivities. Liviana was lost, staring at the water and the firefish, which sparkled under the moonlight.

A moment passed before she spoke quietly, "We can pick?" Cynthia leaned further back and made eye contact with the girl, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. 

"Of course, you can pick. What would you prefer? The countryside? The capital? The mountains? Or would you like to live in the dormitories and study? Of course, you will still have to pick a place which would be your primary residence. So... what's the verdict?" She listed out a few options casually, while taking a swig of her beer. Liv simply stared at her gratefully before letting out a chuckle. Her gaze remained trained on the sky, a small smile on her face. 

"If you asked me a few days ago, I would have said the countryside, but I think I'd prefer the capital, or whatever's easiest," Liv responded. The lanterns illuminating the deck cast a low glow. Her loose hair flowed around her face, and her gentle smile softened her features. 

"The outskirts of the capital, it is; it's perfect to build your status again." Cynthia decided and straightened up, emptied the bottle of beer she had, stretching her arms out; strands of silver hair blew in the wind. Liv stared at her with her head tilted, puzzled by her words. 

"But… you're a merchant. How will you help us build our status, and what makes you think we want our status back?" She raised an eyebrow, her arms across her chest as she stared at the woman. Her back was straightened, her posture stiff as she stood awaiting an answer.

"Let's just say I have a tiny connection", Cynthia winked, "Wallens likes names." She smiled.