The building was on fire, and it was entirely Logan's fault. He did his best to act as surprised as everyone else when the black powder touched off. It wasn't difficult; the resulting dust cloud caught him entirely unawares. Choking and sputtering, he made his way slowly down the street, feigning interest in the roiling inferno he had spawned. He turned as soon as the opportunity presented itself, jerking his head to one side as his eardrums were suddenly assaulted by DuMorne's insistent inquiries.

"Was that Xaio Sengh's place? Did you just blow up Xaio Sengh's place? Are you completely insane?" he hissed.

"Yes, maybe, and apparently. Mr. Koro!" Replied Logan, directing this last to the burly islander that had appeared, as if from nowhere, at his right. Koro grunted in acknowledgment.

"It's time we left. Think we may be wearing our welcome a little thin." he finished. A fierce grin spread across his face. "This is going to be fun."

The three made their way across the sprawling port, separating and converging again as the crowd moved around and between them. A tap on the captain's shoulder and the flash of a white hood signaled the arrival of Alhazred; A dusty, grey feather that had once been white was held between his fingers, extended towards Logan. A cold pair of eyes stared out from beneath the voluminous hood, and the youthful face behind them, while handsome by any standards, held no semblance of emotion. He spoke in a flat voice, nearly monotone.

"Done."

The Captain took the feather, pocketing it without breaking stride. Alhazred pushed his hood back, his demeanor regaining its usual friendly warmth as he spoke.

"So, Captain, I assume we are to make a swift exit?" he asked.

Logan nodded.

"You'd be thinking aright, boy. Anything you can do to help us be off quicker, best get to doing it." he replied. The Persian said nothing; he simply began sprinting in the direction of the ship, which had just come into view.

"What the hell is he doing?" asked DuMorne in an annoyed tone.

His question went unanswered as they all attempted to track the swiftly running figure. His purpose became clear as he was traversing the gangplank to the ship. He vaulted the railing and then ran upon it as though it were no more precarious than the deck below; his swift and sure stride carried him to the outer rigging of the ship in less time than the crew could reach the gangplank themselves. Alhazred continued to climb, tugging at the occasional rope or adjusting some mechanical piece every so often as he did. When he reached the summit of the main mast, he crouched for a moment, seeming to take in the view, then leaped, his arms splayed in a graceful swan dive. As he fell through the air, the Mainsail unfurled behind him like a massive shroud reaching to envelop him. By the time he had reached the deck, the Mainsail was completely open and the rest of the crew was standing in front of him with impressed expressions on their face. Koro was the sole exception, continuing towards the stern in his usual, stoic fashion.

"Hunh." Logan said, with obvious approval. He raised his voice to the rest of the crew.

"Alright, get to work!"

The rest of the crew snapped from the slight daze they had been in and moved as one in several different directions. As the crew went about their preparations, Logan caught up with Koro. He stepped in next to the larger man and began to assist him in the laborious task.

"Mr. Koro, we have a problem. Despite our Persian friend's prowess, we have no wind with which to sail." Logan pointed out. Koro grinned.

"I noticed. No problem. Hold this." he replied.

Koro turned, released the chain, and had started to walk away when he was stopped by a yelp from behind him. The gigantic chain was flying past at an incredible speed, carrying Logan with it. He hit the railing with tremendous force; The chain flew from his grasp as he collapsed in a heap. Koro began to laugh, then was cut short by the massive thud of the anchor making contact. Wavelike ripples spread from the impact, disturbing the normally peaceful water and jostling the docked ships around. Curses and shouts were heard as cargo and people shifted or fell; these mingled with the curses that were streaming from Logan's mouth as he extricated himself from the debris.

"Ni hao jin gi shu! You great bungling blue bastard, what in the hell did you do that for?"

Koro grinned still wider, reaching to help the irate Irishman to his feet.

"Cliff." he reminded the Captain, a hint of humor touching his voice.

"Goddamn it..." Logan said. "Fine, fine. That's the last one you get for free, though." He squinted up at the islander and grasped the proffered hand. "What exactly are you going to do, anyway?"

"Fix the problem." came the stoic reply, as Koro strode unhurriedly in the direction of the rail. When he reached it, he stepped up and over it with no more concern than if he had been descending a staircase. A sizeable splash signaled his submergence, and silence signaled his attention to the task at hand. Logan shook his head, then turned his attention to the anchor chain. He glanced around to ascertain that there were no eyes on him, then shifted to Glabro. He gripped the chain and began to haul, bringing the anchor in as quickly as he could manage. In a few moments, the anchor was up and the Captain was Homid once more, heading towards the helm. Alhazred dropped down beside him as he took hold of the massive wheel; The Captain gave the young Assassin an annoyed look.

"Can't you use the stairs like the rest of the gorram crew?" he shot.

"Sanya flies." countered the youth.

Logan sighed and made no reply. He scanned the waters around for any sign of his first mate, but saw nothing in the murky waters that he could clearly define. Alhazred broke the silence.

"Captain, I must ask – how are we to to make any kind of escape if there is no wind?" he pointed out.

"Is there some reason you're on my bridge asking me stupid questions? Get down to the bloody rudder before I throw you there myself." Logan snapped, giving the Persian a withering look.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Alhazred said, presenting his palms in a placating gesture. He disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, leaving the Captain alone with his thoughts.

"Asshat." muttered Logan, under his breath. He reached into his pocket for his pipe.

"Allright, Koro, whatever you're doing, make it fast." he said to the empty air, and as though the wind had carried his message, the Curse gave a sudden lurch. Logan dropped his pipe on the deck; He bent to retrieve it, muttering a curse. Upon standing, he saw that the ship had left the dock and was moving out toward open sea at a steady pace. Logan glanced around, and when he found the source of the motion, his eyes grew wide.

Behind the ship, a great, streamlined shadow swam. An enormous shark, fully thirty-five feet long, was using its massive body to shove the ship through the water. The swift, powerful strokes of its tail propelled the ship on in the general direction of the harbor exit, the wake from the boat not entirely able to conceal the large dorsal fin protruding from the water. The smile on his face was short-lived, however, as he caught sight of some commotion at the dock. He pulled his spyglass from its pouch and opened it with a grimace. He set his gaze to it, scanning the dock until he found what he was looking for. Sengh had indeed survived; He was, in fact, on the docks and enraged. They would give chase in a matter of hours; were it not for Koro's head start the Curse would surely have been boarded and taken...possibly burned. The thought of his ship in flames brought a growl unbidden to Logan's throat. Better burned than in the hands of another – but neither would happen while he drew breath. He lifted his gaze to the sky, scanning the clouds for any motion at all – and found it, in the east. A slight swirl of cloud out of the corner of his eye. He focused on it for a moment, then grinned widely and stowed the spyglass. He drew his Klaive and threw it in a graceful arc that plunged it into the sea. The ship jolted for a moment, then there was a loud splash as Koro came flying from the water. He had apparently shifted underwater; The klaive was held tightly in his hand as he arced towards the ship. He hit the deck on his feet, dropping to one knee to absorb the impact. Logan welcomed him with a smile on his face.

"No need to kneel, boy, I only want my sword back!" he laughed.

Koro stood, making no effort to reply. He stalked over to the Captain with heavy, deliberate steps that resounded on the wooden deck, his face an unreadable mask beneath the fearsome tattoos. He pressed forward until he was toe to toe with the smaller man, never moving to return the blade to its owner. Logan stared up into the fearsome face, completely unfazed.

"You...smell like a fish."

Koro stopped, cocking his head to the side in an odd imitation of Logan's oft-favored gesture. Logan burst into raucous laughter, which Koro soon joined in. Logan clapped his friend on the back.

"Well done, Mr. Koro, well done. A Westerly wind will soon be upon us, and we'll be on our merry within the hour." He said, pulling his flask from his hip. "I believe this is cause for celebration."

He took a long draught, passing it to the islander when he had finished. Koro took it, finished it, then handed it back. As Logan pocketed the flask, Koro spoke.

"Bad feeling."

Logan eyed him carefully.

"About what?" he asked. He had learned to listen to the islander, especially when he went out of his way to draw attention to something by speaking.

"Package." came the reply.

Logan raised an eyebrow at that.

"We know the old man's coin is good- and usually pretty plentiful at that." He countered.

"Not him. Liked Him. Package. Bad feeling." Koro corrected him.

"Your discontent has been duly registered. You have my permission to tell me "I told you so."" Logan said, only half-serious. "Still, a job's a job. Sooner done, the better. To your quarters, Mr. Koro. We may need your unique abilities again later if the Sengh catch up to us. Until then, see that you rest."

As Koro left the bridge, Logan stared out at the open sea and silently urged the winds to hurry. They'd need all the help they could get; the Thai sloops were among the fastest ships on the seven. As the breeze stirred, he felt a fierce joy run through him. They may be fast, he thought. But they've never seen the likes of us before.

"Come and get us, you dirty bastards. Come and get us."